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“S3 is tbe mint*, so is tbc form” 


CHEIRO’S 

LANGUAGE OF THE HAND 

-A- 


COMPLETE PRACTICAL WORK ON THE SCIENCES OF CHEIROGNOMY 
AND CHEIROMANCY, CONTAINING THE SYSTEM, RULES, 

AND EXPERIENCE OF 

CHEIRO 

(Leigh, Count de Hamong ) 

* 


Fifty-five Full-page Illustrations, and over Two Hundred Engravings of Lines. 

Mounts, and Marks 

* 

DRAWINGS OF THE SEVEN TYPES BY THEO DOPE 


REPRODUCTIONS OF FAMOUS HANDS, ALSO NORMAL AND ABNORMAL HANDS 

TAKEN FROM LIFE, INCLUDING 

The hands of Madame Sarah Bernhardt, Mark Twain, Madame Nordica, Col. R. G. Ingersoll 
Mrs Frank Leslie, Mr. W. T. Stead, The Right Honorable Joseph Chamberlain, M.P.. 
Austen Chamberlain, Esq., M.P., Mrs. Annie Besant, Sir Frederick Leighton, P.R.A., 
Sir John Lubbock, M.P., F.R.S.,The Countess of Aberdeen, Sir Edwin Arnold, The Lord 
Chief Justice of England, The Swami Vivekananda, Rev. C. H. Parkhurst, D.D., Lady 
Lindsay, Sir Arthur Sullivan, Lady Henry Somerset, A Prominent Member of the House 
of Commons, Madame Melba, Lord Charles Beresford, Mr. William Whiteley, Gen. 
Sir Redvers Buller, V.C., K.C.B., Rev. Minot J. Savage, and H. N. Higinbotham, Esq. 

NINTH EDITION 

Containing Illustrations of the Wonderful Scientific Invention 
the Apparatus for 

“THOUGHT PHOTOGRAPHY AND REGISTER OF CEREBRAL FORCE'* 


Nichols & Co., 

23 Oxford Street, London, W. 


* 

PUBLISHERS : 

c /« 7 


Rand, McNally & Co., 

Chicago and New York. 





13288 


Library of Congress 

Two Copies Received ! 

JUL 2 1900 

CappicMMJ 

fssrnrv. 

MbniMi* 

IDOC* DIVISION 

_LUL 7 19 00 


revised and enlarged edition. 

Copyright 189 7 , 

By Leick ee Hamong 




DEDICATION. 

. . . What do I bring? 

Kind Life, ’tis but a little thing, 

A flower I loved in youth ; 

A flower upon the wayside thrown, 
Yet one the bps of truth have known, 
. . . And is itself a truth. 


CheikC'^ 






PREFACE. 


To believe is to perceive—either by the senses or the soul. This distinc¬ 
tion constitutes two classes—the skeptic and the believer, which, though 
dependent on, may yet be incomprehensible to, each other; but both being 
necessary to establish the balance of thought, they are forced into existence 
and become the links and cross-links which make life’s endless chain from 
thought to truth. 

In placing the following work before the public, though deeply conscious 
of my responsibility, I am also conscious of the good that may be derived 
through such a study. I have therefore endeavored to write, not for any 
distinct class, but for all, believing in the ultimate universal acceptance 
of those natural laws which constitute nature and control mankind, and 
which are peculiarly exemplified by this study of the hand. 

A trifle is concealed immensity—the atom is equal to the whole in 
the importance of its existence; if, therefore, this study be considered by 
some too trivial for their attention, I would remind them that many of the 
greatest truths the world has known, though once considered trivialities, have 
become sources of infinite pow r er. I would ask of such people nothing more 
than that they investigate this “ atom ” for themselves, resting assured that 
the study will prove its truth, whether examined from the palmistic theory, 
or from the fact that “ progressive specialization of structure ” produces suit¬ 
ability of shape, which by study can be classed under various heads dealing 
with those characteristics common to occupations, surroundings, and tem¬ 
peraments. 

In the accompanying Defense of Cheiromancy I have endeavored to 
collect the many facts, both medical and scientific, which can be brought 
forward to demonstrate that, as the hands are the servants of the system, so 
all that affects the system affects them. In following out the ideas of many 


VI 


Preface . 


famous men on the subject of the nerve-connection between the brain and 
the hand, I have in every case given my authority for whatever statement I 
have adopted. I trust that in this way even the greatest skeptic in such mat¬ 
ters will be led to see that the study of the hand has not been confined alone 
to the attention of those he has so often been pleased to call “ weak-minded,” 
but, on the contrary, that men of learning, both among the philosophers of 
Greece and the scientists of the present, have considered the subject worthy 
of their time and attention. 

When the mysterious action of the brain and its influence over the entire 
body are considered, it is not surprising to find that those scientists who 
first proved that there are more nerves between the brain and the hand than 
in any other portion of the system now go so far with their investigations 
as even to decide that the brain cannot think without the hand feeling the 
influence of the thought. It will thus be seen that, viewing palmistry from 
this standpoint alone, it becomes a study not contrary to the dictates of 
reason, but in accordance with those natural laws that we observe in the 
shaping of even inanimate objects, which, by demonstrating the effect of a 
heretofore cause, are in themselves the cause of a hereafter effect. 

In presenting with this work the hands of famous people, I have done so 
with the object both of enabling the student to study the hands of those with 
whose lives and characteristics he is for the most part acquainted, and also 
in order to show the reader at a glance the difference that exists between the 
hands of people of different temperaments. It would not be in keeping with 
the purpose of this book if I were to give a delineation of such hands. In the 
first place, their owners are too well known to make the readings of value 
as a test; and in the second, the student will derive greater benefit by trac¬ 
ing out for himself the lines and formations that exhibit each well-known 
characteristic. 

In the following chapters I have endeavored to place clearly and can¬ 
didly before the intelligence of the reader the rules and theories that I 
have proved to be true, and those from whose foundation I have built up 
whatever success I may have achieved. I have done so for two reasons: the 
first—and most important—being, that I believe in cheiromancy and wish to 
see it acknowledged as it deserves to be; the second is, that the time is 


Preface. 


vn 


not far distant when, from considerations of health and demands from other 
fields of labor, I must perforce retire from the scene and leave others—I trust 
more competent—to take my place. It is for these reasons, as an encourage¬ 
ment to those who may follow, and to show what this study has done and can 
do, that in the Appendix at the back of this book will be found the opinions 
of both the press and the public as to the results obtained by the rules and 
methods set forth by this work. 

Nothing has been more removed from my thoughts than the intention of 
giving offense to any section of the community by any expression, religious 
or otherwise, contained in these pages. I have, however, used my right of 
independence of thought and freedom of speech. If, therefore, my remarks 
should give offense to any sect, community, or people, I am willing to take the 
responsibility of such statements; but I ask of my accusers that if, in the 
court of their conscience, my expressions should be condemned, it be on 
my head alone they hurl their condemnation, and not on the mucli-maligned 
study which it has ever been my effort to raise—not to disgrace. 

In conclusion, I wish to say that, in my present tour round the world, I 
hope to visit every civilized country, and I take this opportunity of express¬ 
ing my thanks to those centers of civilization which I have already visited 
for the attention and courtesy I have received. 

Cheiro. 


SECOND EDITION. 

The first edition of five thousand copies having been exhausted in the short space 
of four months, is in itself a gratifying proof of the favor with which the book has 
been received. 

In revising it and producing a second edition, I have endeavored to make it still 
more valuable to the student, by adding some more world-known hands, including 
those of Sir Frederick Leighton, Sir John Lubbock, Sir Edwin Arnold, Austin Cham¬ 
berlain, Esq., M. P., and the Countess of Aberdeen. 

The hand of Austin Chamberlain has been placed next to that of his father, the 
Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, as a striking example of heredity in the shape and 
position of the lines, indicative not only of character, but of similarity in the general 
aspects of career. 


Cheiro. 


SPECIAL EDITION. 


In the Second Edition, also in the Third and Fourth, I have added several 
important and interesting hands that I considered helpful and instructive to 
the student in the pursuit of this study. Since the publication of the First 
Edition I have further increased the book by adding to it 

The hand of Austen Chamberlain, Esq., M.P., 

“ The Countess of Aberdeen, 

“ Sir John Lubbock, 

“ Sir Edwin Arnold, 

“ Sir Frederick Leighton, 

“ The Swam i Vivekananda, 

“ The Rev. C. H. Parkhurst, D.D., 

In the publishing of the last Edition I have endeavored to make it still 

more valuable by such additions as 


The hand of Lady Lindsay, 

“ Sir Arthur Sullivan, 

“ Lady Henry Somerset, 

“ A. J. B., 

“ Madame Melba, 

“ Lord Charles Beresford, 

“ Mr. William Whiteley, 

“ Gen. Redvers Buller, 

“ Rev. Minot J. Savage. 

:f H. N. Higinbotiiam, Esq. 

I trust in this way to make the book not only of use to the student, 
but also of historical value in the collection of hands whose owners have 


been more or less instrumental in influencing both the thought of the age 
and the destiny of mankind. In cases where the left hands are given, the 
right does not come out clear enough in the impression for reproduction. 


November, 1895. 


CHEIRO. 


Permanent address for all communications during the American and English tour, 


Care of LOWS EXCHANGE, 

949 Broadway, New York, 


47 New Bond Street, 

London, TV, 


For account ot the apparatus for “ Thought Photography and Register of Cerebral Force,'* 
see Part IV. 



CONTENTS. 


Preface .. 
A Defense 


page 

T 


1 


PART I.—CHEIROGNOMY. 


CHAPTER 

I. Of the Shapes of Hands and Fingers. 25 

II. The Elementary, or Lowest Type. 27 

III. The Square Hand and its Subdivisions. 28 


The Square Hand with Short Square Fingers. 
The Square Hand with Long Square Fingers. 
The Square Hand with Knotty Fingers. 

The Square Hand with Spatulate Fingers. 
The Square Hand with Conic Fingers. 

The Square Hand with Psychic Fingers. 

The Square Hand with Mixed Fingers. 


IV. The Spatulate Hand. 32 

V. The Philosophic Hand. 34 

VI. The Conic Hand. 37 

VII. The Psychic Hand. 40 

VIII. The Mixed Hand. 43 

IX. The Thumb. 45 


The Supple-jointed Thumb. 
The Firm-jointed Thumb. 
The Second Phalange. 


X. The Joints of the Fingers. 51 

XI. The Fingers. 53 

The Length of the Fingers in Relation to One Another. 

XII. The Palm, and Large and Small Hands. 56 

XIII. The Nails . 58 

Long Nails in Relation to Health. 

Short Nails in Relation to Health. 

Disposition as shown by the Nails. 

















X 


Contents. 


CHAPTER PAGE 

XIV. The Hair on the Hands.—A Suggestive Theory. 61 

XY. The Mounts, their Position and their Meanings. 63 


The Mount of Yenus. 

The Mount of Jupiter. 

The Mount of Saturn. 

The Mount of the Sun. 

The Mount of Mercury. 

The Mount of Mars. 

The Mount of Luna. 

The Leaning of the Mounts toward One Another. 

XYI. The Hands of Nations. 66 

The Elementary Hand. 

The Square Hand, and the Nations represented by it. 

The Philosophic. 

The Conic. 

The Spatulate. 

The Psychic. 


PART II.—CHEIROMANCY. 

I. A Few Remarks in Reference to the Reading of the Hand . 69 

II. The Lines of the Hand. 72 

III. In Relation to the Lines. 74 

IV. The Right and Left Hands.■. 77 

V. The Line of Life. 79 

VI. The Line of Mars. 86 

VII. The Line of Head. 87 

VIII. The Line of Head in Relation to the Seven Types. 91 

The Line of Head in Relation to the Square Hand. 

The Line of Head in Relation to the Spatulate Hand. 


The Line of Head in Relation to the Philosophic Hand. 
The Line of Head in Relation to the Conic Hand. 

The Line of Head in Relation to the Psychic Hand. 


IX. Insanity as shown by the Line of Head. 95 

Murderous Propensities as shown by the Line of Head. 

X. The Line of Heart. 98 

XI. The Line of Fate. 102 

XII. The Line of Sun. 106 

XIII. The Line of Health, or the Hepatica. 109 

XIV. The Via Lasciva and the Line of Intuition. Ill 

XV. The Girdle of Venus, the Ring of Saturn, and the Three Bracelets.... 112 

XVI. The Line of Marriage. 114 




















Contents. 


51 


CHAPTER PAGE 

XVII. Children... 119 

XVIII. The Star. 121 


The Star on the Mount of Jupiter. 
The Star on the Mount of Saturn. 
The Star on the Mount of the Sun. 
The Star on the Mount of Mercury. 
The Star on the Mount of Mars. 
The Star on the Mount of Luna. 
The Star on the Mount of Venus. 
The Star on the Fingers. 


XIX. The Cross . 125 

XX. The Square. . 127 

XXI. The Island, the Circle, the Spot... 129 

XXII. The Grille, the Triangle, “La Croix Mystique,” the Ring op Solomon... 131 
XXIII. Hands covered with Lines—the Color op the Palm. 134 


Smooth Hands. 

The Skin. 

The Color of the Palm. 

XXIV. The Great Triangle and the Quadrangle . . 136 


The Upper Angle. 

The Middle Angle. 

The Lower Angle. 

The Quadrangle. 

XXV. Travel, Voyages, and Accidents. 139 

XXVI. Time—the System op Seven. 112 


PART III—ILLUSTRATIVE TYPES. 

I. A Few Words on Suicide.. 

II. The Peculiarities op Hands that show a Suicidal Tendency 

III. Propensities for Murder. 

IV. Various Phases of Insanity. 

Melancholy and Religious Madness. 

The Development of the Crank. 

The Natural Madman. 

V. Modus Operandi. 

PART TV. 

Thought Photography and Register of Cerebral Force. 

Illustrations of Famous Hands. 

Appendix .. .. . 


144 

147 

149 

152 


155 


... 158 
163-198 






















LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PLATE PACINO PAGE 

I. The Elementary Hand . 27 

II. The Square, or Useful Hand. 28 

III. The Spatulate, or Active Hand. 32 

IV. The Knotty, or Philosophic Hand . 34 

V. The Conic, or Artistic Hand . 37 

VI. The Psychic, or Idealistic Hand. 40 

VII. The Mixed Hand. 43 

VIII. Thumbs . 45 

IX. The Joints of the Fingers . . 51 

The Pointed. 

The Philosophic. 

X. Nails. 58 

Figs. 1 and 2, Throat Affections. 

Figs. 3 and 5, Bronchial Affections. 

Figs. 4, G, and 7, Delicacy of Lungs. 

Figs. 8, 9, and 10, Consumptive Tendencies. 

XI. Nails.•. 59 

Showing Tendency toward Heart-disease. 

Showing Tendency toward Paralysis. 

XII. The Mounts of the Hand . 63 

XIII. The Map of the Hand. 72 

XIV. Signs found in the Hand.. *'4 

Fig. 1. Forked Lines. 

Fig. 2. Sister Lines. 

Fig. 3. Spots on Lines. 

Fig. 4. Islands. 

Fig. 5. Tasseled Lines. 

Fig. 6. Ascending and Descending Branches. 

Fig. 7. Wavy Lines. 

Fig. 8. Capillaried Lines. 

Fig. 9. Broken Lines. 

Fig. 10. Chained Lines. 

Fig. 11. The Square on Line. 
















XIV 


List of Illustrations . 


PLATE 

XV. Signs found in the Hand. 

Fig. 1. The Star. 

Fig. 2. The Island. 

Fig. 3. The Spot. 

Fig. 4. The Cross. 

Fig. 5. The Triangle. 

Fig. 6. The Grille. 

Fig. 7. The Square. 

Fig. 8. The Circle. 

Fig. 9. The Tripod and Spear-head. 


XVI. Modifications of Principal Lines. 79 

XVII. Modifications of Principal Lines. 87 

XVIII. Modifications of Principal Lines. 98 

XIX. Modifications of Principal Lines. 106 

XX. Modifications of Principal Lines. 112 

XXI. Modifications of Principal Lines. 121 

XXII. Modifications of Principal Lines. 129 

XXIII. Time—the System of Seven. 142 

PAGE 

XXIV. A Murderer’s Hand. 159 

XXV. A Suicide’s Hand. 161 

XXVI. A Baby’s Hand. 163 

XXVII. The Hand of Madame Sarah Bernhardt. 165 

XXVIII. The Hand of Mark Twain. 167 

XXIX. The Hand of Madame Nordica. 169 

XXX. The Hand of John Theo Dore Bentley. 171 

XXXI. The Hand of Colonel Robert Ingersoll. 173 

XXXII. The Hand of Mrs. Frank Leslie. 175 

XXXIII. The Hand of W. T. Stead. 177 

XXXIV. The Hand of the Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, M. P . 179 

XXXV. The Hand of Austen Chamberlain, Esq., M. P . 181 

XXXVI. The Hand of Mrs. Annie Besant. 183 

XXXVII. The Hand of the Lord Chief-Justice of England. 185 

XXXVIII. The Hand of the Countess of Aberdeen. 187 

XXXIX. The Hand of Sir John Lubbock, M. P., F. R. S. 189 

XL. The Hand of Sir Edwin Arnold. 191 

XLI. The Hand of Sir Frederick Leighton, P. R. A. 193 

XLII. The Hand of the Swami Vivekananda. 195 

XLIII. The Hand of E. M. Curtiss, Esq. 197 

XLIV. The Hand of the Rev. C. H. Parkhurst, D. D. 199 


FACING PAGE 

. 76 





























List of Illustrations. xv 

PLATE PAGE 

XLV. The Hand of Lady Lindsay. 201 

XLYI. The Hand of Sir Arthur Sullivan. 203 

XLVII. The Hand of Lady Henry Somerset. 205 

XLVIII. The Hand of a Prominent Member of the House of Commons. 207 

XLIX. The Hand of Madame Melba. 209 

L. The Hand of Lord Charles Beresford. 211 

LI. The Hand of Mr. William Whiteley. 213 

LII. The Hand of Gen. Sir Redvers Buller, V.C., K.C.B . 215 

LIII. The Hand of Minot J. Savage . 217 

LTV. The Hand of H. N. Higinbotham, Esq .. . 219 













A DEFENSE. 


The greatest truth may lie in smallest things, 

The greatest good in what we most despise, 

The greatest light may break from darkest skies, 

The greatest chord from e'en the weakest strings. 

Cheiro. 

If any science, art, or work lias for its beginning, its object, and its end 
the improvement of humanity and the advancement of the race, then that 
work, art, or science deserves the encouragement and recognition that is 
its due. 

Of all branches of the study of human nature, that of the hand has the 
most powerful claim. By it one can detect, not only the faults in mankind, 
but the way in which those faults may be redeemed. It is the key to that 
cabinet of character in which nature conceals not only the motive power 
necessary for every-day life, but those latent talents and energies that by 
the knowledge of self we can bring to bear upon our lives. 

There are few—if any—of us who, looking back upon the past, will not 
at some time confess to months, years, and often the greater part of life’s 
span, that have been lost, through the fault of parents and our own ignorance 
combined. 

“ Know thyself,” the motto of the ancients, is the simplest but the grand¬ 
est sermon that can ring within our ears. By the knowledge of nature do we 
honor nature; let us then consider the study that can give such knowledge: 
for by the knowledge of self may we master self, and by the improvement of 
self may we also improve mankind—to the advancement of the race, to the 
honor of the world, and to the glory of those who, in the march of time, will 
fill life’s broken ranks, and some day take our place. 

To endeavor to show the solid and sufficient foundation that this study 

n. 


I 


A Defense. 


o 

j-i 

rests upon, I will merely ask my readers to follow the pages of this defense, 
with curiosity if they w T ish, but, I hope, with curiosity tempered by common 
sense and patience. It shall therefore be my province to assume the posi¬ 
tion of the student, and not that of the partisan. Thus, discarding the argu¬ 
mentative standpoint, do I present the history of the study, and the facts 
upon which it rests, feeling assured that the result will be satisfactory to the 
reason, the logic, and the common sense of those who, from it matters not 
what motive, may examine this study for themselves. 

To consider the origin of this science, we must take our thoughts back to 
the earliest days of the world’s history, and furthermore to the consideration 
of a people the oldest of all, yet one that has survived the fall of empires, 
nations, and dynasties, and who are to-day as characteristic and as full of 
individuality as they were when thousands of years ago the first records of 
history were written. I allude to those children of the East, the Hindus, a 
people whose philosophy and wisdom are every day being more and more 
revived. Looking back to the earliest days of the history of the known 
world, we find that the first linguistic records belong to the people under 
consideration, and date back to that far-distant cycle of time known as the 
Aryan civilization. Beyond history we cannot go; but the monuments and 
cave temples of India, according to the testimony of archaeologists, all point 
to a time so far beyond the scant history at our disposal, that in the exami¬ 
nation of such matters our greatest knowledge is dwarfed into infantile noth¬ 
ingness—our age and era are but the swaddling-clothes of the child; our 
manhood that of the infant in the arms of the eternity of time. 

In endeavoring to trace the origin of palmistry, we are carried back to 
the confines of a prehistoric age. History tells us that in the remotest 
period of the Aryan civilization it had even a literature of its own. Beyond 
this we cannot go; but as fragments of this literature are even now extant, 
we must therefore conclude that it had a still more remote infancy; but into 
that night of antiquity we dare not venture. There are no stars to guide, 
no faded moons to show us light; and so, standing on the borders of the 
known, we gaze into the darkness of the unknown, from the vastness of 
which we occasionally draw the bones of a mammoth or the fragments of a 
shrine: they are helps to knowledge; they are weeds upon the sands of time; 


A Defense. 


3 


they tell us of days before our days, of races before our race, of verdant 
islands, of civilization sunk forever in the ocean of antiquity. 

As regards the people who first understood and practised this study of 
the hand, we find undisputed proofs of their learning and knowledge. Long 
before Rome or Greece or Israel was even heard of, the monuments of 
India point back to an age of learning beyond, and still beyond. From the 
astronomical calculations that the figures in their temples represent, it has 
been estimated that the Hindus understood the precession of the equinoxes 
centuries before the Christian era. In some of the ancient cave temples, the 
mystic figures of the Sphinx silently tell that such knowledge had been pos¬ 
sessed and used in advance of all those nations afterward so celebrated for 
their learning. It has been demonstrated that to make a change from one 
sign to another in the zodiacal course of the sun must have occupied at the 
least 2140 years, and how many centuries elapsed before such changes came 
to be observed and noticed it is impossible to even estimate. 

The intellectual power which was necessary to make such observations 
speaks for itself; and yet it is to such a people that we trace the origin of 
the study under consideration. With the spread of the Hindu teachings 
into other lands do we trace the spread of the knowledge of palmistry. The 
Hindu Vedas are the oldest scriptures that have been found, and according 
to some authorities they have been the foundation of even the Greek schools 
of learning. 

When we consider that palmistry is the offspring of such a race, we 
should for such a reason alone at least treat it with respect, and be more 
inclined to examine its claims for justice than we are at present. In the 
examination of these points we therefore find that this study of the hand 
is one of the most ancient in the world. History again comes to our assis¬ 
tance, and tells that in the northwest province of India palmistry was prac¬ 
tised and followed by the Joshi caste from time immemorial to the present 
day. 

It may be interesting to describe here, in as few words as possible, an 
extremely ancient and curious book on the markings of hands, that I was 
allowed to use and examine during my sojourn in India. This book was one 
of the greatest treasures of the few Brahmans who possessed and understood 


4 


A Defense. 


it, and was jealously guarded in one of those old cave temples that belong 
to the ruins of ancient Hindustan. 

This strange book was made of human skin, pieced and put together in 
the most ingenious manner. It was of enormous size, and contained hun¬ 
dreds of well-drawn illustrations, with records of how, when, and where this 
or that mark was proved correct. 

One of the strangest features in connection with it was that it was written 
in some red liquid which age had failed to spoil or fade. The effect of those 
vivid red letters on the pages of dull yellow skin was most remarkable. By 
some compound, probably made of herbs, each page was glazed, as it were, 
by varnish; but whatever this compound may have been, it seemed to defy 
time, as the outer covers alone showed the signs of wear and decay. As 
regards the antiquity of this book there could be no question. It was ap¬ 
parently written in three sections or divisions: the first part belonged to 
the earliest language of the country, and dated so far back that very few of 
even the Brahmans could read or decipher it. There are many such treasures 
in Hindustani; but all are so jealously guarded by the Brahmans that neither 
money, art, nor power will ever release such pledges of the past. 

As the wisdom of this strange race spread far and wide across the earth, 
so the doctrines and ideas of palmistry spread and were practised in other 
countries. Just as religion suits itself to the conditions of the race in which 
it is propagated, so has palmistry been divided into systems. The most an¬ 
cient records, however, are those found among the Hindus. It is difficult 
to trace its path from country to country. In far-distant ages it has been 
practised in China, Tibet, Persia, and Egypt; but it is to the days of the 
Grecian civilization that we owe the present clear and lucid form of the 
study. The Greek civilization has in many ways been considered the high¬ 
est and most intellectual in the world, and here it was that palmistry, or 
cheiromancy—from the Greek cheA\ the hand—grew, flourished, and found 
favor in the sight of those whose names are as stars of honor in the fir¬ 
mament of knowledge. We find that Anaxagoras taught and practised it in 
423 b.c. We find that Hispanus discovered, on an altar dedicated to Hermes, 
a book on cheiromancy written in gold letters, which he sent as a present to 
Alexander the Great, as “a study worthy the attention of an elevated and 


A Defense. 


5 


inquiring mind.” We find it also sanctioned by such men of learning as 
Aristotle, Pliny, Paracelsus, Cardamis, Albertus Magnus, the Emperor Au¬ 
gustus, and many others of note. 

Now, whether these ancient people were more enlightened than we are 
has long been a question of dispute. The point, however, which has been 
admitted, and the one which concerns this study most, is, that as in those 
days the greatest study of mankind was man, it therefore follows that in a 
study like this their conclusions are far more likely to be right than are 
those of an age famous for its implements of destruction, its steam-engines, 
and its commerce. Again, if an age like the present will admit, and has 
admitted, that those Greek philosophers were men of extraordinary depth of 
thought and learning, and that their works, thoughts, and ideas are worthy 
of the deepest respect, why should we then lightly consider their authority on 
this subject, and throw aside a study that so deeply occupied their attention f 
And again, if we go back, as we do, to these men for their learning in other 
matters, why, in the name of all that is reasonable, should we reject their 
knowledge in this f 

Now, as in the study of mankind there came to be recognized a natural 
position on the face for the nose, eyes, ears, etc., so also on the hand there 
came to be recognized a natural position for the line of head, the line of life, 
and so on. The time and study devoted to the subject enabled these stu¬ 
dents to give names to these marks; as the line of head, meaning mentality; 
the line of heart, affection; the line of life, longevity; and so on, with every 
mark or mount that the hand possesses. This brings us down to the period 
when the power of the church was beginning to be felt outside the domain 
and jurisdiction of religion. It is said that the early Fathers were jealous 
of the power of this old-world science. Such may or may not have been the 
case; but even in the present day we find that the church constitutes itself 
in all matters, both spiritual and temporal, the chosen oracle of God. With¬ 
out wishing to seem intolerant, one cannot help but remaik that the histoiy 
of any dominant religion is the history of the opposition to knowledge, unless 
that knowledge proceed from its teachings. Falmistiy, theiefoie, the child 
of pagans and heathens, was not even given a trial. It was denounced as 
rank sorcery and witchcraft. The devil was conjured up as the father of all 


6 


A Defense. 


palmists, and the result was that men and women, terrified to acknowledge 
such a parentage, allowed palmistry to become outlawed and fall into the 
hands of vagrants, tramps, and gipsies. 

During the middle ages several attempts were made to revive this an¬ 
cient study; as, for instance, “ Die Kunst Ciromanta,” published in 1475, 
and “ The Cyromantia Aristotelis cum Figuris,” published 1490, which is at 
present in the British Museum. These attempts were useful in keeping the 
ashes of the study from dying out; but it is in the nineteenth century that 
once more it rises a Phoenix from the fire of persecution which has tried in 
vain to destroy it. The science of the present has come to the rescue of the 
so-called superstition of the past. On almost every side proof is being added 
to proof that this ancient study is not a delusion, but a real thing—a jewel, 
as it were, dimmed and covered by the accumulations of bigotry and super¬ 
stition, yet one which contains within its depths that light of truth which 
nature’s followers delight to know and worship. 

It may be well here to defend palmistry from the attacks of the church. 
Let us examine for a moment the right of the church to attack it. Alas! 
his majesty Satan has still the reputation of being behind every person who 
dares to advance any science or thought that may not be in accordance with 
the interpretation of the church’s idea of right and wrong. I had not been 
in London one month before a Catholic priest refused to give absolution to 
an entire family because they had consulted me against his orders. In 
America, during my first year, I was visited by two clergymen, with the 
object of persuading me that my success was due alone to the agency of the 
devil. One went so far as to tell me that God had sent him to offer me a 
clerkship—at a small salary, of course—if I would only give up my relations 
with the Evil One. But all this is not to be wondered at when one remem¬ 
bers that in this year (1894), in one of the most prominent churches in Amer¬ 
ica, a very noted clergyman used these words: 

“ Let me tell you what I saw a few years ago with my own eyes.” Then 
followed a long description of 11 a fiery animal shaped like a horse, that glowed 
like a burning coal, which had a man mounted upon it without arms. It 
rolled from one end of the island to the other, and from side to side with 
immense speed. The people were terrified; they thought it was the devil, 


A Defense. 


7 


and they implored me to intercede for them, but I refused. ... I have trav¬ 
eled all over the world and seen the greatest sights and wonders of the earth; 
but I never saw anything like that before. It was a warning tg all who saw 
it, and represented' Satan and his army, wdio are to visit with awful results 
the sinners of the earth.” 

I make no comment. I quote the above words verbatim from a leading 
New York paper of the 3d of March, 1894, which reported the entire sermon. 

The church is not consistent; its foundation is the Bible, and from the 
first of Genesis to the end of Revelation the Bible is a book of fate. In the 
opening chapters we find that God ordained a certain time when a virgin 
would conceive, and a little later when a Judas would betray. Poor Judas 
thus becomes a selected victim, a child of fate, from whom opportunities 
would arise to alter the destiny of nations. It is useless to say that Judas was 
a free agent; if he had shirked his fate would not some other man have had 
to take his place “that the Scriptures might be fulfilled”? Over fourteen 
times in the Gospels do we find these mysterious words. In almost every 
portion of the Bible we find the spirit of prophecy encouraged. We find 
“ Schools of the Prophets ” established for such a purpose, and indications 
that divinations were held in high repute by God’s chosen people. Among 
the Hebrews, as among the Hindus, Egyptians, Chaldeaus, and all nations 
who encouraged the spirit of prophecy, the prophets were a separate and 
distinct class from the priesthood. Among the Jews the prophets often 
acted in direct opposition to the priesthood, denouncing in the strongest 
language the abominations and corruptions that they practised. Again, 
what can be more mystical, or more allied to magic, than the ancient cabala 
of the Jews ? According to tradition it was communicated by God to Adam, 
by Adam given to Seth, and lost by the latter in some mysterious way. It 
was renewed again by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, from Moses to Joshua, 
from Joshua to the Seventy Elders, and was sometimes utilized by learned 
Jews instead of the counsels of the Talmud. Examining the Biblical state¬ 
ment that the Jews were in bondage to Egypt at a time when the Egyptians 
were famous for their magic, it cannot be wondered at that after leaving 
that land of mystery they would still cling to the teachings imbibed while 
there. According to many authorities, the description of the Hebrews de- 


8 


A Defense. 


spoiling the Egyptians on the eve of their departure, and robbing them of 
their ornaments, signifies in cabalistic language “ the taking from them the 
external rites and ceremonials of their magical worship.” We therefore find 
that the Bible, upon which the creeds of the modern church are founded, is 
tinged with the mysticism common to its time; that it encourages prophecy, 
and that it teaches fate: which three things in the study of palmistry arouse 
the wrath of the church, and are denounced as sorcery, witchcraft, and every¬ 
thing* else contrary to the teachings of God. 

In view of the opposition of the church, it is interesting to notice the 
many important phrases in the Bible in which hands are mentioned. There 
are many authorities who affirm that among the arts learned by the Jews 
while in Egypt was this study of the hand; but the most important verse 
that is used in support of this is the seventh of the thirty-seventh chapter of 
Job. In the original Hebrew it appears to have a very different meaning 
from that given to it by the English version. One translation of it runs, 
“ God placed signs or seals in the hands of men, that all men might know 
their works.” This verse, about the middle of the sixteenth century, caused 
some very great discussions among theologians and commentators. Among 
them we find that many advocated the cheiromantic aspect that the lines of 
the hand are “the markings of God, that all men might know their works.” 
Among those in support of this view were Franciscus Yalesius, Scliultens, 
Ly rannus, Thomassin, and Debrio, and this is all the more remarkable when 
one remembers that these men could not have lived in a more antagonistic 
age in whicli to propagate their views. The translation of the Bible into 
English at a time when the opposition to palmistry, sorcery, and witchcraft 
was at its height, is very jwobably the cause of the wording of this verse as 
it now stands. 

Among other verses that seem to bear a relation to this point might be 
mentioned: 

“ Length of days is in her right band, riches and honor are in her left.” 
(Prov. iii. 16.) 

“What evil is in mine hand?” (1 Sam. xxvi. 18.) 

“ And receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand.” (Rev. xiv 0 9.) 

But of all the many allusions to the subject, the verse in Job is certainly 


A Defense. 9 

the most important, and one which, as I have shown, has called forth the 
support of even theologians. 

In connection with the opposition of the church, the most absurd point, 
to my mind, is, that this very church does not hesitate to preach fate for 
another world while determinedly tabooing such a doctrine as regards this. 
There are a great many sects who openly advocate the doctrine of predesti¬ 
nation as far as religious matters are concerned. What is known as the Eng¬ 
lish Church goes so far as to make it one of her articles of faith, as in the 
seventeenth Article of Religion, where it is stated that “predestination to 
life is the everlasting purpose of God, whereby, before the foundations of the 
world were laid, He hath decreed by His counsel secret to us,” to do this, that, 
or the other, according to the ideas of the learned gentlemen who framed the 
article. 

To thus deal with an eternity of life, to thus plan out the political econ- 
omy of that which is unknown, is a thousand times more unreasonable than 
to ask people to believe that as the hands are the servan ts of the system , so all 
things which affect the system affect them. It is strange, but it is a fact that 
the people who believe the most extraordinary theories as regards religion 
are the very people who cry out that it is absurd to believe in any study like 
this of palmistry. Surely this is not consistent. 

We will now see what science has done for palmistry, and whether or 
not it has any foundation beyond that of mere speculation and hypothesis. 
In this age of specialism which is so characteristic of the nineteenth century, 
we find in almost all departments of life men devoting their time to some one 
particular branch of study. In past ages it was common for a man to be a 
physician, a chemist, and a surgeon combined. There was, in fact, no limit 
to the things to which he might turn his attention. In the nineteenth cen¬ 
tury, however, and particularly toward its close, we find specialists arising in 
all directions. A surgeon need not practise as a physician, nor a physician 
as a surgeon; a dentist need not be a doctor, and a chemist need not be a 
bone-setter. Particularly in science is this change seen, and with ^ei\ aston¬ 
ishing results in the independent discoveries and improvements that have 
been made. 

This specialism has, however, one verv srreat evil. It may give greater 


10 


A Defense. 


knowledge on particular things, but it confines men to a narrower line of 
thought. It therefore happens that the physician may know little about 
anatomy, whereas the surgeon may know next to nothing of medicine; the 
nerve specialist won’t treat the common ailments of life, and the doctor will 
not infringe upon the latter; the physician who devotes his talents to con¬ 
sumption cures won’t treat fever patients; and so on. Now all this leads up 
to a very grave point, namely, the unreasonable way in which the ordinary 
populace treat the ordinary medical man. A man sees, perhaps, a strange 
experiment in hypnotism; he goes to his physician, and because that physi¬ 
cian, who probably has never devoted five minutes’ study to such a subject, 
pronounces such a thing impossible, the patient goes away and tells his 
acquaintances to pooh-pooh the idea, because Dr. So-and-so does not believe 
in it. Now, when one considers that even in medicine there are hundreds 
of mysteries perfectly unknown to the ordinary medical man, how much 
more so mav it not be in regard to the mvsteries of life and nature, which 
are subject to invisible laws beyond the power of man to analyze ? 

I respect doctors as a body of educated men; but I do not respect the 
idea that they should be the appointed judges of such matters as telepathy, 
mesmerism, clairvoyance, and so on, without any other qualification but that 
of having M.D. to their name. It was Voltaire who said that “Newton, with 
all his science, did not know how his hand moved.” Almost every day in 
my work, the following conversation occurs: 

“ Well, sir, you have told me the events of my past fife so accurately 
from these lines that I am half inclined to believe you can tell the future; 
but I have asked Dr. So-and-so; he says it must be all humbug, so I really 
do not know what to think.” Alas! Dr. So-and-so too often turns out to be 
a man who has never had the time, the opportunity, or even the inclination 
to study the connection between the brain and the hand. He has not even 
read the works of medical specialists on the subject. He has confined 
himself to the treatment of fever, pneumonia, the illnesses of children, or 
the hypochondriacal fads and fancies of age. He knows that there are 
such things as hands, that they are dry and hot during fever, and that is 
about all. 

In reference to this I quote a few remarks from the address of the pres- 


A Defense. 11 

ident of the New Jersey State Medical Society, at its meeting, June, 1S93, in 
which he said: 

“How many physicians know anything of the natural cause of most dis¬ 
eases except by hearsay ? How many have had the courage to observe for 
themselves while sternly combating the seductive opportunity of prescribing 
a variety of unnecessary medicines ? ” 

Not more than twenty years ago almost every physician of note cried 
out that hypnotism was impossible. To-day the same profession embraces 
it, and studies the very laws whose existence it once denied. It is the same 
with cheiromancy: for years they have pooh-poohed the idea; to-day they 
admit that diseases are indicated in a marvelous manner by the hand, and 
at present the study of the shape of the nails is a branch calliug forth the 
greatest attention from medical men in both London and Paris. 

If the medical profession could oiily forget their old-time prejudices; if 
they could only be persuaded to take some reliable work on palmistry and 
study it for themselves—they would without doubt come to the conclusion 
that, in the words of Hispanus, it was indeed “ a study worthy the attention 
of an elevated and inquiring mind.” 

In relation to this I publish the following letter which appeared in the 
Student , a paper belonging to the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, dated 
January 29, 1890. 

CHEIROMANCY. 

Sir : Some years ago I was walking through one of the wards in the Royal Infirmary, when 
suddenly the idea occurred to me that I would examine the lines on a patient’s hand. 

I went to the nearest bed, and without pausing to look at the patient, I examined his hand. 
I knew little of palmistry, and believed still less; in fact, I hardly knew more than the names of 
the five principal lines, and that breaks in those lines usually meant misfortune. I examined 
the hands, and saw the life-line broken in both hands, and the fate-line, before it had reached 
a quarter of its natural length, stopped and replaced by a large cross. I questioned the patient, 
and found that he was twenty-three years old, and far gone in phthisis. He died in a few days. I 
could multiply instances, but space forbids. Would you then allow me to offer a few suggestions 
as to the possible relation of these lines to processes carried on in the cehs of the gray matter? 
I am well aware that palmistry is considered quackery and humbug; but, after all, facts are 
stubborn things, even if they do not rest on any known scientific basis. 

[A few suggestions on the possible relation of linear markings on .he palm of the hand to 
certain physiological and psychical processes in the brain.] 

1. The hand is a high stage of development peculiar to man as a reasonable being. 

2. Tendencies, such as eloquence, anger, and affection, are shown by movements. 


12 


A Defense. 


3. These movements are coarse and fine, and so produce large and small creases or lines. 

4. Creases and lines, therefore, bear a definite relation to movements, and so to tendencies. 

5. There are four well-marked creases or lines on every hand, found by experience to bear 
a definite relation to the tendencies of affection, mental capacity, longevity, and mental bent, 
or what cheiromants call “ fate.” 

G. A line crossing the longevity line, a branch or break in it, interferes with its uniformity, 
and therefore interferes with the uniformity of the tendency to live. 

7. Nerves regulating coarser and finer motions, and so creases or lines, contain chiefly motor 
fibers; but probably also other filaments transmitting in vibrations the resultant or combined 
effect of acquired and constitutional tendencies, and determining it to that part of the longevity 
line that will be affected, and there causing a crease resembling a cross by its junction with the 
main line or a branch, as the case may be. 

8. The same train of reasoning obviously applies to avoidable accidents —that is, accidents 
caused by carelessness. 

9. Unavoidable accidents. Certain tracts of cells in the conical gray matter are, incredible as 
it may seem, probably affected by coming events, and made to vibrate; hence, vague fears, 
intuitive perception, but no actual train of reasoning. The vibrations excited in these cells 
cannot awaken the activity of the cells engaged in reasoning processes that adjoin them, but 
merely cause protoplasmic vibrations in them, these vibrations being transmitted and marked 
on the hand by creases of different shapes. According to cheiromants, the left hand is what 
you are, constitutionally; the right hand, what you make yourself or acquire. We may, there¬ 
fore, reasonably expect to see in the right hand the resultant of acquired and constitutional 
tendencies. 

As regards futurity, I think it not impossible that Professor Charcot’s researches on the 
higher functions of the nervous system will demonstrate that tracts of cells, or a pathological 
condition of these cells, enables a perception of futurity, but no memory of it. 

(Signed) Speranus. 

It will thus be seen that it requires but a little study of the subject 
to convince even the most skeptical that “ there is something in the lines ”; 
and if a little, why not a great deal, if a sufficient amount of study be devoted 
to it ? 

In medical work, lioematoma of the ear has been for a long time recog¬ 
nized. This consists in the upper portion of the ear assuming a peculiar 
shape, either by the formation of a blood tumor, or by the thickening of 
the upper portion, which is found in the ears of lunatics, generally those who 
inherit madness; but in Paris lately it has been more closely studied, with 
the result that in August, 1893, tests were given before the Academie des 
Sciences, proving that madness could be predicted years in advance by 
a proper study of the ear alone. Now my argument is, that if, as has been 
proved, accurate prediction can be made by a study of the ear, is there then 
anything impossible in prediction being far more accurately made by a study 


A Defense. 


13 


of the hand, which has been pronounced to be, both in nerves and mechanism, 
the most wonderful organ in the entire system, and to have the most intimate 
connection with the brain ? 

Almost all medical men admit now that the different formations of nails 
indicate different diseases, and that it is possible from the nails alone to 
predict that the subject will suffer from paralysis, consumption, heart dis¬ 
ease, and so on. Many a well-known doctor has told me that he has read 
more from the hand than he dared acknowledge, and that it was but the old- 
time prejudices which kept many a man from admitting the same thing. 

At this point let me also draw a comparison between the way a doctor 
treats his patient and the wav a palmist treats his client. I draw this com¬ 
parison on account of the unfair manner in which medical men as a rule treat 
the palmist. 

In the first place, the doctor has a recognized science to go by; he has 
scientific instruments with the most modern improvements to assist his re- 
. searches; but how many can tell the patient what he is suffering from, unless 
the patient first tells the doctor all about himself and his symptoms; and 
even then, how often can the doctor arrive at a correct diagnosis? Many of 
my readers will remember that during the great epidemic of La Grippe in 
London, 1890, letters appeared in the leading papers relating to the experi¬ 
ences of a man who visited seven of the most noted physicians of the 
day; that these seven, after thoroughly examining him, each said he was 
suffering from a different disease, and all prescribed entirely different drugs 
for him to take. 

Now, in the case of a palmist, the client, without giving his or her name, 
without telling his occupation, or whether married or single, simply holds 
out his hands, and the palmist has to tell him past events in his life, present 
surroundings, health, past and present; and having, by accuiacj only, gained 
his confidence, he proceeds to read the future from the same mateiials that 
he has told the past. Now, if the palmist, without one particle of the help 
that the doctor gets, should make one mistake, the client immediately con¬ 
siders that he is a charlatan, and palmistry a delusion and a snaie. If, 
however, the doctor makes a blunder, it is never known, but the result is that 
the patient has been “ called away by Providence to another sphere.” 


14 


A Defense. 


I leave my readers to draw their own conclusions. 

Among the testimony and ideas given by scientific men we find the 
greatest possible arguments in favor of the cheiromantic use of the lines, 
formations, mounts, and so forth. In the first place, the markings of no two 
hands have ever been found alike. This is particularly noticeable m the case 
of twins; the lines will be widely different if the natures are different in 
their individuality, but at least some important difference will be shown, in 
accordance with the different temperaments. It has also been noted that 
even with the lines of the hand a certain peculiarity will run in families for 
generations, and that each succeeding race will also show in temperament 
whatever that peculiar characteristic is. But again, it will be found that in 
the markings of the hand some children bear very little resemblance, in the 
position of the lines, to those of the parents, and that, if one watches their 
lives, they will, in accordance with this theory, be found very different from 
those who gave them birth. Again, one child may resemble the father, 
another the mother, and the markings of the hand will also be found to 
correspond with the markings on the hand of the particular parent that the 
child resembles. 

It is a very popular fallacy that the lines are made by work. The direct 
opposite, however, is the case. At the birth of the infant the lines are deeply 
marked (Plate XXVI.). Work, on the contrary, covers the hand with a coarse 
layer of skin, and so hides instead of exposes them; but if the hand is soft¬ 
ened, by poulticing or other means, the entire multitude of marks will be 
shown at any time from the cradle to the grave. 

The superiority of the hand is well worthy our attention. Scientists and 
men of learning in all ages have agreed that it plays one of the most impor¬ 
tant parts of all the members of the body. Anaxagoras has said: “ The 
superiority of man is owing to his hands.” In Aristotle’s writings we find : 
“ The hand is the organ of organs, the active agent of the passive powers of 
the entire system.” In our own day, such men as Sir Richard Owen, Hum¬ 
phrey, and Sir Charles Bell all call attention to the importance of the hand. 
Sir Charles Bell in 1874 writes : “ W r e ought to define the hand as belonging 
exclusively to man, corresponding, in its sensibility and motion , to the endowment 
of his mind.” 


A Defense . 


15 


Sir Richard Owen, in liis work on “ The Nature of Limbs,” published in 
1849, says: “ In the hand every single bone is distinguishable from one 
another; each digit has its own peculiar character.” 

It has long been known and recognized that the hand can express almost 
as much by its gestures and positions as the lips can by speech. Quintilian, 
speaking of the language of hands, says : “ For the other parts of the body 
assist the speaker, but these, I may say, speak for themselves; they ask, they 
promise, they invoke, they dismiss, they threaten, they entreat, they depre¬ 
cate, they express fear, joy, grief, our doubts, our assents, our penitence, 
they show moderation, profusion, they mark number and time.” > 

We will now give our attention to the skin, the nerves, and the sense of 
touch. The highest authority we can have on the hand is Sir Charles Bell. 
Speaking of the skin, he says: “ The cuticle is so far a part of the organ of 
touch that it is the medium through which the external impression is con¬ 
veyed to the nerve. The extremities of the fingers best exhibit the provisions 
for the exercise of this sense. The nails give support to the tips of the 
fingers, and in order to sustain the elastic cushion that forms their extremities 
they are made broad and shield-like. This cushion is an important part of 
the exterior apparatus. Its fulness and elasticity adapt it admirably for 
touch. It is a remarkable fact that we cannot feel the pulse with the tongue, 
but that we can with the fingers. On a nearer inspection we discover in the 
points of the fingers a more particular provision for adapting them to touch. 
Wherever the sense of feeling is most exquisite, there we see minute spiral 
ridges of the cuticle. These ridges have corresponding depressions on the 
inner surface, and they again give lodgment to soft, pulpy processes of the 
skin called papillae, in which lie the extremities of the sentient nerves. Thus 
the nerves are adequately protected, while they are at the same time suffi¬ 
ciently exposed to have impressions communicated to them through the 
elastic cuticle and thus give rise to the sense of touch.” 

As regards the nerves, medical science has demonstrated that the hand con¬ 
tains more nerves than any other portion of the system, and the palm contains 
more than any other portion of the hand. It has also been shown that the 
nerves from the brain to the hand are so highly developed by generations of 
use, that the hand, whether passive or active, is in every sense the immediate 


16 


A Defense. 


servant of the brain. A very interesting medical work states “ that every 
apparent single nerve is in reality two nerve cords in one sheath; the one 
conveys the action of the brain to the part, and the other conveys the action 
of the part to the brain.” 

In connection with this, it is important to consider the corpuscles that 
are found in the hand. Meissner, in his “ Anatomy and Physiology of the 
Hand” (Leipzig, 1853), showed that these corpuscles in the hand have a very 
important meaning. He demonstrated that these “unyielding molecular 
substances” were found in the tips of the fingers, the lines of the hand, and 
disappeared completely at the wrist; that these corpuscles contained the end of 
the important nerve fiber, and during the life of the body gave forth certain 
crepitations or vibrations, which ceased the moment life became extinct. “ I 
have counted,” says he, “ in the first phalange of the volar surface of the fore¬ 
finger of a full-grown man, one hundred and eight corpuscles, and about four 
hundred papillae in a square line.” 

These investigations were afterward followed up by experiments as to 
the noises or crepitations that they gave forth during life. It was demon¬ 
strated that people with acute hearing could detect these vibrations distinct 
and different in every human being. And in the case of a man experimented 
on in Paris, who was born blind, but whom nature had compensated by 
giving him a greater sense of hearing, it was found that by listening to the 
vibrations of these corpuscles “he could determine the sex, age, and tem¬ 
perament, the state of health, and even their nearness to illness and death.” 

We will now turn our attention to what, perhaps, as far as palmistry is 
concerned, may be the most important point of all, namely, as to the ideas of 
men of learning as regards a fluid or essence in connection with the nerves 
and the brain. 

/ On this point Abercrombie states: “ The communication of perceptions 
from the senses to the mind has been accounted for by motions of the 
nervous fluid, by vibrations of the nerves, or by a subtle essence resembling 
electricity or galvanism.” We find that this theory has been very freely cir¬ 
culated by those who have devoted serious thought to the subject. Muller 
also says : “ Perhaps there exists between the phenomena of the nervous 
system and of electricity a sympathy or connection at present unknown, 


A Defense. 


1 ? 


analagous to that which has been found to exist between electricity and 
magnetism.” And again he says: “ We know not as yet whether or no, when 
the nerves convey an impression, an imponderable fluid flies along them with 
inconceivable rapidity, or whether the action of the nervous system consists 
of an imponderable principle already existent in the nerves, and placed in 
vibration by the brain.” 

During my stay in London I had the honor of knowing personally 
Professor Savarv d’Odiardi, a well-known French savant, who has devoted 
the greater part of his life to investigating the curative effect of electricity in 
disease. The astounding cures made by this man, through his knowledge 
of the part that electricity plays in daily life, have made him one of the 
greatest living authorities on the subject. 

During a conversation I had with him he also stated that he considered 
the nerves a kind of telegraph system in conveying the current of thought 
from the brain to the body, but more especially in their connection and rela¬ 
tion to the hand. 

Herder, in his “ Idees sur la Philosophic de l’Histoire de l’Humanite,” 
published Paris, 1827, writes also in favor of this theory. He speaks of the 
action of the nervous fluid, which he teaches is an essence far more subtle 
than that of electricity, and used to convey the impressions of the brain to 
the nerves. All such opinions from well-known men who have devoted time 
and thought to the subject go far to show that the influence of the mind in 
this or that direction must affect the lines, the nails, and in fact every portion 
of the hand. There is nothing superstitious in such a theory; it is based 
upon the findings of science, and has been supported by facts that are un¬ 
disputed. After all, why should it be otherwise? According to eminent 
authorities like Sir Charles Bell, we find that they have demonstrated that 
“ in the examination of a skeleton, a zoologist recognizes that the irregulari¬ 
ties and ridges found upon the surface of the bones are the result of the 
action and pressure of muscles and nerves”; that from the broken fragment 
of a bone the scientist can build up the entire structure and proportions of 
the dead animal, his race, habits, and even the diseases he would be liable to. 
If such, as has been proved, can be done from the fragment of a bone, looking 
> at the subject from this standpoint alone, how much, I ask, may we not do by 


18 


A Defense . 


a careful study of the most important member of the body—the hand ? Is 
there anything absurd or ridiculous in the idea that the hand specialist (as 
the true palmist is) should attempt and be able to read the health, the sur¬ 
roundings of the past and present, and even the future, from an examination 
of the hand, independent of any palmistic theory of lines to go by ? 

That the lines are not produced by work we have noted earlier. If, 
therefore, as has been demonstrated, they are not produced by work, they 
likewise are not produced by constant folding. It is true that the hands fold 
on the lines, but it is also true that lines and marks are found where no fold¬ 
ing can possibly take place, and if so in one case, why not in all ? Again, 
there are many diseases (as, for example, paralysis) in which the lines 
completely disappear, although the hands continue to fold as before. The 
folding argument, it will therefore be observed, does not hold ground. 

As regards the question, Is the study of phrenology and physiognomy to 
be considered as an aid in a cheiromantic examination? a little thought will 
convince the inquirer that such is not by any means necessary. A thorough 
study of the hand will combine both. The hand, by its direct communication 
with every portion of the brain, tells not only the qualities active, but those 
dormant, and those which will be developed. As regards physiognomy, the 
face allows itself to be too easily controlled to be accurate in its findings, but 
the lines cannot be altered to suit the purposes of the moment. 

It is Balzac who has said, in his “ Comedie Humaine ” : “We acquire the 
faculty of imposing silence upon our lips, upon our eyes, upon our eyebrows, 
and upon our foreheads; the hand alone does not dissemble—no feature is 
more expressive than the hand.” 

We will now turn to the question of the future as revealed by this study, 
and carefully examine the reasons advanced for such a belief. 

In the first place, we must bear in mind that the meaning of the differ¬ 
ent lines in conjunction with the different types of hands dates back to that 
period already referred to when this study lay in the hands of men who 
devoted their lives to its cultivation. Now, as there came to be recognized a 
natural position for the nose or the lips on the face, so in the study of the 
hand there came to be recognized a natural position for the line of head or 
the line of life, as the case might be. How such a thing was originally dis- 


A Defense. 


19 


covered is not our province to determine, but that the truth of such designa 
tions has been proved, and can be proved, will be admitted by any person who 
will even casually examine hands for himself. Therefore, if proved in one 
point that certain marks on the line of head mean this or that peculiarity 
mentally, and that certain marks on the line of life have been proved to be 
in relation to length of life or the reverse, the same course of observation, it 
is not illogical to assume, that can predict illness, health, madness, and death 
years in advance may, if persisted in, be also accurate in its observation that 
marriage will occur at this or that point, with this or that result, and also in 
regard to prosperity or the reverse. It is beyond my power to answer why 
such a thing should be, but it is surely not beyond my jurisdiction to advance 
the following theory: That as the hidden laws of nature become more re¬ 
vealed by each century of time, so does man become more cognizant of the 
fact that things before called mysteries are but produced by the action of 
certain laws that beforetime he was ignorant of. I also advance the theory 
that it is not possible for us to lead the isolated lives that at first sight appear 
probable; that as the laws which affect the entire universe affect us, so do 
we, as part of a whole, affect ayain those tail's , and thus one another. In ex¬ 
amining this question we find that the hand preaches, to a certain extent, 
the doctrine of fate, in its prediction of things years in advance, and in its 
relation to the effect of circumstances over which we have little or no control. 
There is here, however, a strange combination, not only interesting but 
instructive: man appears responsive to the dual laws’ of destiny and free 
will. Man has free will, I argue, but with limitations, as there are limita¬ 
tions to all other things in life—to one’s strength, to one’s height, to one’s 
age, and so forth. Free will is the oscillation of the cylinder, which very 
oscillation drives the eternal machinery of evolution. Looking over the pages 
or the Bible, we find destiny absolute, the purpose of God appearing in all 
things. Looking back over the history of the world, the fate of nations 
stands out in grand relief upon the somber background of the past. Man be¬ 
comes the servant of destiny. The rulers of Rome, the Grecians of Athens, 
the Pharaohs of the Nile, all have served their purpose and are gone. ML 
behold in all the slow but steady stride of evolution bearing us higher, bear¬ 
ing us to perfection. Let us look back—the lessons of the past may be the 


20 


A Defense. 


teachers of the future. We behold an age when freedom of thought lay dying 
beneath the dogma of a church; we behold a bondage great as any when 
a Rama rose in Hindustan, a Moses in Egypt, or a Christ in Jerusalem ; a 
million things lead to the one crisis—again history is repeated, again a man 
is forced to the front. Was there anything in the appearance of that in¬ 
significant monk, Luther, that he should be called upon to take such a 
responsibility upon his shoulders ? Ah ! he was not called upon by man; 
destiny was again absolute—nature was one-sided, the balance had to be 
restored. God—nature—fate—we will not quarrel about a name—working 
through the medium of hereditary laws, so fashioned a man that, standing in 
the niche of necessity, he was the lever upon which the fate of thousands 
depended. The same in the case of Napoleon, the same again in the boy 
George Washington, and as in the greater, so in the smaller; from creed to 
creed, from class to class, from the President to the preacher, from the 
banker to the gamin, all fulfil their purpose, each star within its sphere, each 
person, each position, all are chords and discords, notes and harmonies in the 
song of life, and as in the ultimate millennium of perfection will that per¬ 
fection be eternal, so shall all share the perfection of that grand harmony of 
which even now we form the tones, the semi-tones, and the discords. 

Is it hard to believe in some unseen law, some mysterious cause or power 
that thus shapes and controls our lives? If at first sight it seems so, we 
must consider the hundred and one things we have believed in with less 
foundation. To be consistent, we must remember the multitudinous variety 
of religions, creeds, and theories that have not only been accepted by the 
masses, but have been the solid beliefs of intellectual minds. If, therefore, 
people can so easily believe in that which is beyond this state of life, of 
which no actual facts exist, is there anything so very absurd in supporting 
a doctrine of fate, which it is logical to suppose exists, if we only take it from 
the standpoint of the repetition of events from natural causes ? On this ques¬ 
tion I would draw attention to the words of Dugald Stewart in Ins “ Outlines 
of Moral Philosophy,” published 1837, in which he says: “ All philosophical 
inquiry, and all that practical knowledge which guides our conduct in life, 
presupposes such an established order in the succession of events as enables 
us to form conjectures concerning the future from the observation of the past ” 


A Defense. 


121 


Man therefore becomes both the maker and the servant of destiny, he 
bringing into force, by his existence alone, certain laws that react upon him¬ 
self, and, through him, upon others. The present is therefore the effect of a 
heretofore cause; and again, the present is the cause of a hereafter effect. The 
deeds of the past are the karma of the present, as in “ the sins of the fathers,” 
and in the effect of hereditary laws. As we, therefore, work out our own fate, 
so do we make fate for those to follow, and so on in every degree from stage 
to stage in the world’s progress. v 

It will thus be seen that instead of this doctrine becoming a dangerous 
one, it becomes the reverse. It forces men and women to realize the responsi¬ 
bility of life : it teaches them to feel for others, and not to be careful alone for 
the salvation of self. This creed I hold would suit all classes of the com¬ 
munity, would raise men by its unselfishness, would redeem them by its 
personal claim, would broaden men’s views, that where now they see but 
dogma they would see Truth; would teach that we, the children of humanity, 
being brothers and sisters, should serve one another, to the ultimate per¬ 
fection of the race, to the benefit of all life, and to the advancement of those 
who are yet to come. 

This doctrine of fate does not retard men from work, it advances them 
on the plane of work. It does not hold out a reward for work done, which, 
after all, is but the wage of the hireling; it gives the higher satisfaction 
of doing one’s best, that others may be better—no more. It teaches patience 
in trial, resignation in affliction, humbleness in success, and virtue in what¬ 
ever position in life “ it has pleased Clod (or fate) to call us.” 

Contrast this doctrine with that of free will as usually preached, and 
what is the result? We find the greatest man reduced to the smallest atom 
in the immensity of humanity. We look lower in the scale of life, we see mil¬ 
lions of beings crushing one another, living on one another, struggling with 
all the fierceness of their freedom. There is no contentment in such a scene, 
no peace, no beauty; not even in their religion do we find the rest which 
after death should be the reward of the weary. 

On the other hand, the true fatalist will not close his hands and wait, he 
will open them and work, earnestly and patiently and well, remembering 
that the burden he bears has been made for him to teach him to make lighter 


99 


A Defense. 


the burdens of others. He will feel that he is a link in life’s chain, which 
is eternal; that no matter how small that link may be, it still has its pur¬ 
pose—to be borne with patience, to be served with honor. ’Tis naught to him 
the clash of creeds, ’tis naught the success of the moment, or the failure of 
the year ; he will do wrong in his life, as well as right—we all do; evil is as 
necessary as good—but he will do his best, that is all. And at the end—well, 
there is no end, for even if there be no life beyond, he lives again in the par¬ 
ticles of clay from whence he came; but if there be a spirit, then is his spirit 
part of the eternal spirit of all things, and so in the success of all is he suc¬ 
cessful. This is, to my mind, the doctrine of fate as preached by this study 
of the hand; this is the creed that has been despised by the church and 
ranked as “ an enemy to the teachings of Hod.” What that agency or power 
is which marks the hands may forever remain a mystery, but that does not 
qualify us for obstinately refusing to believe in it—because ice do not know. 
A man might as well say, “ I refuse to live, because I do not know all that 
constitutes life,” or “ I refuse to think, because I do not know the process of 
thought.” There are hundreds of mysteries, even in the simple things of life, 
that the finite mind cannot fathom, but we cannot afford to discard them be¬ 
cause we do not know their cause. The greatest thinkers, Christian or anti- 
christian, have acknowledged their belief in some power beyond our control 
that “ shapes our ends, rough hew them how we will.” What can be stronger 
than the words of Professor Tyndall: u Life and its conditions set forth the 
operations of an inscrutable power; w r e know not its origin, we know not its 
end; the presumption, if not the degradation, rests with those who place upon 
the throne of the universe a magnified image of themselves.” 

Voltaire has said: “ There is a power that acts within us without con¬ 
sulting us.” 

And lastly, let me draw attention to the words of Emerson : “ A little 
consideration of what takes place around us every day must show us that 
a higher law than that of our ivill regulates events .” 

We have now seen how this study has survived from age to age. We 
have seen how even hard-headed materialistic science brings forth facts to 
support its theories. We have viewed it from a natural light, and we find it 
natural; we have examined it from a religious standpoint, and it is religious; 


A Defense. 


23 


we find that good can be done through it, not only in its doctrines of the 
responsibility of life, but in its warnings, in its cautions, and in the knowledge 
of self that it gives to all. What, then, is to be done ? Discard it, because of 
opposition ? No, we must help it for the sake of the truth that it possesses. 
We must teach it to others, that its knowledge may be power. We must 
use it because of its use, we must support it because of its support ; and 
lastly, to the man or woman who, in spite of reason, of proofs, of facts, still 
doubts—to such a person, using Foster’s argument against atheism as a 
foundation, I would say, that by taking such a position they do not do them¬ 
selves justice as reasonable or intellectual beings. And why? Because unless 
they know every law that controls mankind, that law that they do not know 
may be the one whose existence they deny. Unless they have been in every 
portion of the universe, that portion they have not seen may contain the 
secret of the whole ; and unless they know every power that constitutes life, 
that power they do not know may be the very one that marks the hand. 




CHEIRO’S LANGUAGE OF THE HAXD. 


PART I.—OHEIROGSTOMT. 

CHAPTER I. 

OF THE SHAPES OF HANDS AND FINGERS. 

Palmistry should really mean the study of the hand in its entirety. It 
is, however, divided into two sections: the twin sciences of cheirognomy and 
cheiromancy. The first deals with the shape of the hand and fingers, and 
relates to the hereditary influence of character and disposition; and the sec¬ 
ond to the lines and markings of the palm, to the events of past, present, and 
future. 

It will therefore be readily understood that the second portion of this 
study cannot be complete without the first; and as in the study, so in the 
reading of the hand—the student should first observe the shape and forma¬ 
tion, skin, nails, etc., before proceeding to judge the lines and markings of 
the palm. Some people consider this portion of the subject too uninteresting 
to devote much attention to, and books on palmistry frequently ignore its 
importance, and commence too quickly with the more interesting details of 
cheiromancy. 

A little thought will, however, convince the student that such a plan is a 
mistake, and can only result in error; that if the subject is worth any study 
at all, it is certainly worth going into thoroughly; besides, the shape of the 
band can be more readily observed than the lines of the jialm, and it is 
therefore all the more interesting, as by this means one can read the char- 





26 Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 

acter of strangers while sitting in the railroad car, the church, the concert, 
or the salon. 

The characteristics of various nations as shown by the shape of the hand 
is also a fascinating branch of the study, and one very much overlooked. 
Later, I will endeavor to point out the leading characteristics that I myself 
have observed in relation to this portion of the subject. The varying shape 
of hands and their suitability to various kinds of occupation is also worthy 
of note, and although by the exercise of will we can alter and make up, in a 
certain degree, for almost any constitutional defect, yet it is undoubtedly the 
case that certain types are more suited for one work than another, which is 
the more immediate province of cheirognomy to determine. AVe will there¬ 
fore at once proceed to consider the different types of hands with their vari¬ 
ous modifications, in their relation to temperament and character. 

There are seven types of hands, each of which may again be subdivided 
into seven varieties. 

The seven types are: 

I. The elementary, or the lowest type. 

II. The square, or the useful hand. 

III. The spatulate, or the nervous active type. 

IV. The philosophic, or the knotty hand. 

V. The conic, or the artistic type. 

VI. The psychic, or the idealistic hand. 

VII. The mixed hand. 

The seven varieties are formed by the blending of the seven types. 
Among civilized nations the elementary being rarely found in its purity, we 
therefore commence with the square, divided into seven heads, as, for exam¬ 
ple: the square with square fingers, short; the square with square fingers, 
long; the square with knotty fingers; the square with spatulate fingers; the 
square with conic fingers; the square with psychic fingers; and the square 
with mixed fingers. 




elementary hand. 





CHAPTER IT. 


THE ELEMENTARY, OR LOWEST TYPE. 

This hand naturally belongs to the lowest type of mentality. In appear¬ 
ance it is coarse and clumsy, with large, thick, heavy palm, short fingers, and 
short nails (Plate I.). It is always important to notice the length of the palm 
and fingers. Some books on palmistry state that to show intellectuality the 
fingers should always be longer than the palm; but an examination of this 
statement will show that it is not correct. It has not been proved that fin¬ 
gers have been found longer than the palm. That they may be nearly as 
long, or as long, there can be no doubt; but it is a very rare case to find 
them even of the same length. When, however, in proportion to the size of 
the palm the fingers are long, it indicates a more intellectual nature than 
when they are short. In Dr. Cairn’s work on the physiognomy of the human 
body, he states that “ the bones of the palm form, among brute animals, al¬ 
most the whole hand.” The deduction, therefore, is that the more the palm 
dominates the hand, the more does the animal nature rule. This is the im¬ 
portant point in the elementary hand: the palm is always thick and coarse, 
and the fingers short and clumsy. There are also very few lines to be seen 
on the palm. The people possessing such a type have very little mental 
capacity, and what they do possess leans more to the order of the brute. 
They have little or no control over their passions; love of form, color, and 
beauty does not appeal to them. The thumb of such hands is short and 
thick, with the upper part or nail phalange heavy, full, and generally square. 
Such people are violent in temper, passionate but not courageous. If they 
commit murder, it is in the fury and in the spirit of destruction. They pos¬ 
sess a certain low cunning, but the cunning of instinct, not reason. These 
are people without aspirations; they but eat, drink, sleep, and die. (See also 
“ The Hands of Nations,” Chapter XVI.) 

27 


CHAPTER III. 


THE SQUARE HAND AND ITS SUBDIVISIONS- 

The square hand means the palm square at the wrist, square at the base 
of the fingers, and the fingers themselves square (Plate II.). Such a type is 
also called the useful, because it is found in so many walks of life. Witn 
this type the nails as well are generally short and square. 

People with such a hand are orderly, punctual, and precise in manner, 
not, however, from any innate grace of nature, but more from conformity to 
custom and habit. ' They respect authority, they love discipline, they have 
a place for everything and everything is kept in its place, not only in their 
household, but in their brains.’ They respect law and order, and are slaves 
to custom ; they are not quarrelsome, but are determined in opposition ;* they 
prefer reason to instinct, peace to war, and are methodical in work and in 
habit. They are endowed with great perseverance, but are tenacious, not 
resigned; they are not enthusiastic over poetry or art; they ask for the 
material, they win success in practical things. In religion they will not go 
to extremes; they prefer substance to show, and dogma to ideas. They are 
not adaptable to people, or versatile; they have little originality or imagina¬ 
tion, but in work they have great application, force of character, strength 
of will, and often outdistance their more brilliant and inspirational rivals. 
They naturally love the exact sciences, and all practical study. They en¬ 
courage agriculture and commerce; they love home and the duties of 
home, but are not demonstrative in affection. They are sincere and true in 
promises, stanch in friendship, strong in principle, and honest in business. 
Their greatest fault is that they are inclined to reason by a twelve-inch rule, 
and disbelieve all they cannot understand. 



Plate 11.—THE SQUARE, CR USEFUL HAND. 









The Square Hand and its Subdivisions. 


29 


THE SQUARE HAND WITH SHORT SQUARE FINGERS. 

This peculiarity is very often found, and very easily recognized. The 
subject with such a type is materialistic in every sense of the term. He 
would be the kind of man who would say: “ Except I hear with my ears and 
see with my eyes, I cannot believe.” And even then I very much doubt if 
such a man would be convinced. It also denotes an obstinate kind of na¬ 
ture, as a rule, narrow-minded. These people make money, but by plodding; 
they may not be miserly, but they are business-like and practical; they like 
to accumulate wealth; it is the material they seek. 

THE SQUARE HAND WITH LONG SQUARE FINGERS. 

The next modification is the scpiare hand with very long fingers. This 
denotes a greater development of mentality than the square hand with short 
ringers. It denotes logic and method, but in a greater degree than possessed 
by the purely square type, which, tied down by rule and custom, must follow 
the I 3aten track. This hand, on the contrary, though submitting everything 
to scientific examination, will not be so influenced by prejudice, but will pro¬ 
ceed cautiously and thoroughly to logical-conclusions, and will find its voca¬ 
tion in a scientific career, or in one involving logic and reason. 

THE SQUARE HAND WITH KNOTTY FINGERS. 

This type is generally found with long fingers, and gives, in the first 
place, extreme love of detail. It is also fond of construction; it builds plans 
from any given point to any known possibility; it may not produce great 
inventors, but it will produce good architects, mathematicians, and calcula¬ 
tors, and if it applies itself to medical work, or to science of any kind, it will 
choose some specialty and use its love of detail in the perfection of its own 
particular study. 


THE SQUARE HAND WITH SPATULATE FINGERS. 

This is the hand of invention, but always on practical lines. Men with 
this formation run the gamut in invention, but on a practical plane. They 


30 


Chtiro's Language of the Hand. 


make useful things, instruments, and household articles, and are, as well, 
good engineers. They love mechanical work of almost every kind, and the 
iinest useful mechanism has been turned out by men with the square hand 
and the spatulate fingers. 

THE SQUARE HAND WITH CONIC FINGERS. 

Now, though at first sight it may appear strange to say that musical 
composition comes under this head, yet a little consideration will show that 
such not only is the case, but that there is a logical reason that it should be 
so. In the first place, the square hand is more the hand of the student. It 
gives more the power of application and continuity of effort, while the conic 
fingers give the intuitive and inspirational faculties. The musical composer, 
no matter how imaginative, no matter how inspired in ideas, is certainly not 
without the student’s side to his character. If we consider, for a moment, 
the quality of brain and the disposition which is absolutely necessary, we 
will understand more clearly why the hand must be thus wonderfully bal¬ 
anced—why the inspirational, imaginative nature must be linked to that of 
the thoughtful, the solid, the methodical, and that which also proceeds from 
the foundation of the known—as, for instance, harmony and counterpoint— 
to reach the world of the unknown, through the gates of imagination and 
idealism. I have given great study to the hands of musical people, and I 
find this rule invariable. I find that the same also applies to literary people, 
those who from the foundation of study build up the ivy-clad towers of ro¬ 
mance. It is here that the student of palmistry is often discouraged. He 
imagines that because a man or woman leads an artistic life, be it musical 
or literary, that the shape of the hand must be what is commonly called the 
conic or artistic; but the smallest observation of life will show that though 
the people with the jiurely conic or artistic hands have the artistic nature 
and the appreciation of what is artistic, yet they may not have—and I have 
more often observed that they have not—the power or the ability to bring 
their ideas before the world in the same masterful way in which the mixed 
square and conic do. A man of a very artistic spirit, with the conic hand, 
once said to me: “ It is sufficient for the artist to be the artist to his own 
inner nature; the approbation of the world is, after all, only the vulgar hall- 


The Square Hand and its Subdivisions. 


31 


mark on what he knows is gold.” “Yes,” I reply, “sufficient for your own 
nature, perhaps, but not sufficient for the world that expects the diamond 
to shine and the gold to glitter. If the flower made itself, then might it re¬ 
fuse to allow its perfume to scent the earth.” On the contrary, the square 
type will exert its powers to the greatest advantage of all mankind. 

THE SQUARE HAND AND PSYCHIC FINGERS. 

The square hand with purely psychic fingers is rarely found, but an ap¬ 
proach to it is often seen in the form of the square palm combined with long, 
pointed fingers and long nails. Such a formation causes people to start well, 
and mean well, but makes them subservient to every mood and caprice. An 
artist with such a type will have a studio of unfinished pictures, and the busi¬ 
ness man will have his office filled with unfinished plans. Such a blending of 
types the extreme opposite of each other makes a nature too contradictory 
to ever succeed. 

THE SQUARE HAND AND MIXED FINGERS. 

This is a type that is very often seen, and more so among men than 
among women. It consists of every finger being different in shape, some¬ 
times two or three, sometimes all. It is often found that the thumb of such 
a hand is supple, or bends back very much in the middle joint; the first finger 
is generally pointed, the second square, the third spatulate, and the fourth 
pointed. Such a hand indicates great versatility of ideas; at times such a 
man will be full of inspiration, again he will be scientific and extremely log¬ 
ical ; he will descend from the most imaginative idea to the most practical; 
he will discuss any subject with the greatest ease; but from want of con¬ 
tinuity of purpose, he will rarely, if ever, rise to any great height of power or 
success. 

I have not space at my disposal to thus give the subdivisions of every 
type, but this is an example for the student of how the seven types may be 
divided. 


CHAPTER IV. 


THE SPATULATE HAND. 

The spatulate hand is so called not only because the tip of each finger 
resembles the spatula that chemists use in mortars, but also because the palm, 
instead of having the squareness of the preceding type, is either unusually 
broad at the wrist or at the base of the fingers (Plate III.). 

When the greater breadth of formation is at the wrist, the palm of the 
hand becomes pointed toward the fingers; when, on the contrary, the great¬ 
est breadth is found at the base of the fingers, the shape of the hand slopes 
back toward the wrist. We will discuss these two points a little later, but 
we must first consider the significance of the spatulate hand itself. 

In the first place, the spatulate hand, when hard and firm, indicates a 
nature restless and excitable, but full of energy of purpose and enthusiasm. 
When soft and flabby, which is often the case, it denotes the restless but 
irritable spirit. Such a person works in fits and starts, but cannot stick 
to anything long. ‘Now, in the first place, the peculiar attribute that the 
spatulate hand has is its intense love of action, energy, and independence. 
It belongs to the great navigators, explorers, discoverers, and also the 
great engineers and mechanics, but it is by no means confined to such 
people, and may be found in almost every walk of life. ’ As a rule, it is a 
large hand, with fairly long, well-developed fingers. The most striking 
characteristic of all is the singular independence of spirit that characterizes 
individuals possessing such a development. It is doubtless this spirit that 
makes them explorers and discoverers, and causes them also to depart from 
the known rules of engineering and mechanics to seek the unknown, and 
thus become famous for their invention. No matter in what grade or 
position in life these spatulate hands find themselves, they always in some 
form strike out for themselves, and assert their right to possess a marked in- 

32 



Plate III.—THE SPATULATE. OR ACTIVE HAND„ 












33 


The Spatulate Hand. 

dividuality of tlieir own. A singer, actress, doctor, or preacher with such a 
development will break all rules of precedent—not by any means for the sake 
of eccentricity, but simply because they have an original way of looking at 
tilings, and their sense of independence inclines them to resent suiting their 
brain to other people’s ideas. * It is from this hand that we get not only 
our great discoverers and engineers, but also the wdiole army of men and 
women we are pleased to call cranks, simply because they will not follow the 
rut made by the centuries of sheep that have gone before them. v Such men 
and women with the spatulate hands are the advance agents of thought. They 
are, it is true, very often before their time; they are often wrong in the way 
they set about their work ; but they are, as a rule, the heralds of some new 
thought or life that will, years later, give life to their fellow-men. 

This brings us down to the two divisions I have just mentioned. We will 
now consider their meaning. 

The spatulate hand with the broad development at the base of the fingers 
is the more practical of the two. If he be an inventor, he will use his talents 
for making locomotives, ships, railways, and all the more useful things of life, 
for the simple reason that he comes nearer the formation of the square type. 
But if he has the greater angular development at the wrist, his bent will be 
for action in the domain of ideas. ’ He will invent flying-machines if he has 
the inventive talent, hunt for new flowers if he be a botanist, be the demigod 
of some new gospel if he be a priest. These people wonder that God took six 
days to make the earth—with the little power that they possess they would 
revolutionize the world in a day. But they all have their purpose in the 
evolution of life; they are necessary, therefore they are created. 


CHAPTER V. 


THE PHILOSOPHIC HAND. 

The name of this type explains itself, the word “ philosophic ” being de¬ 
rived from the Greek pliilos , love, and sophia, wisdom. This shape of hand 
is easily recognized : it is generally long and angular, with bony fiugers, devel¬ 
oped joints, and long nails (Plate IV.). As far as success in the form of wealth 
is concerned, it is not a favorable type to have; it gleans wisdom, rarely, if 
ever, gold. People with such a type are, as a rule, students, but of peculiar 
subjects. They study mankind ; they know every chord and tone in the harp 
of life; they play upon it, and are gratified with its responsive melody more 
than with the clink of coin. In this way they have as much ambition as 
other types of humanity, only theirs is of a different kind, that is all. They 
like to be distinct from other people, and they will go through all kinds of 
privations to attain this end; but as knowledge gives power, so does the 
knowledge of mankind give power over man. Such people love mystery in 
all things. If they preach, they preach over the heads of the people ; if they 
paint, they are mystic; if they are poets, they discard the dramatic clash and 
color of life for the visionary similes^and vaporish drapings of the spirit. 
Theirs is the peace of the aesthetic; theirs the domain beyond the borderland 
of matter; theirs the cloudland of thought, where the dreaded grub-worm 
of materialism dare not follow. Such hands are found very largely among 
the Oriental nations, particularly in India. The Brahmans, Yogis, and other 
mystics possess them in great numbers. In England, striking examples are 
found in the hands of Cardinal Newman, Cardinal Manning, and Tennyson. 
They are also largely seen among the Jesuits of the Catholic Church, rarely 
in the English Church, and more rarely still in Baptists, Presbyterians, and 
Independents. In character they are silent and secretive; they are deep 
thinkers, careful over little matters, even in the use of little words; they are 

34 


.1 


Plate IV.—THE KNOTTY, OR PHILOSOPHIC HAND, 






The Philosophic Hand. 


proud with the pride of being different from others; they rarely forget an 
injury, but they are patient with the patience of power. They wait for 
opportunities, and so opportunities serve them. Such hands are generally 
egotistical, which is in keeping with the life they lead. When in any excess 
of development they are more or less fanatical in religion or mysticism. Of 
this the most wonderful examples are found in the East, where from the 
earliest childhood the Yogi will separate himself from all claims of relation¬ 
ship and kindred, and starve and kill the body that the soul may live. I 
differ in my definition of this type very largely from the modern writers on 
palmistry. I fear it has been too often the case that the writer on this sub¬ 
ject has followed too closely what other authorities have said, without taking 
the trouble to follow out his own observations. The greatest injury that has 
been done to palmistry has been done in the nineteenth century, by the 
u lady and gentleman ” writers of the day. Such people read a few books, 
devote sometimes a few months, sometimes less, to the study as a fad, or as 
something by which to make a tinsel reputation of being interesting, then 
they write their names to a book and disappear into the whirl of society from 
whence they came. Only this week I read a pamphlet written by a lady who 
eight months ago did not know a line on the hand, but to-day she comes for¬ 
ward as an exponent of palmistry, and, having mixed up the types in her 
brain, writes that the square hand with short fingers is the hand of poetry 
and idealism. In this work I have endeavored to keep an unbiased minu 
toward the difference of opinion on this or that in connection with the study. 
When I have come in contact with an opinion in opposition to my own. 
I have carefully considered all points for and against, and before deciding in 
any direction I have taken time to examine often hundreds of hands before 
coming to a conclusion on even the smallest point. W hen one considers tiie 
opportunities placed at my disposal, not only in one country, but in almost 
every country in the world, he will more readily understand that there is some 
likelihood of my being, not infallible, but fairly accurate. 

With these hands, therefore, it must be borne in mind that the developed 
joints are the peculiar characteristic of thoughtful people, while the smooth, 
pointed fingers are the reverse. Again, such a development gives the love of 
analyzing, but it is the shape or type of hand which determines whether that 


36 


Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 


power of analysis be for chemicals or for mankind. The end of the finger 
being square and conic combined gives the solemn tone to their inspiration 
and fits them specially for the religions thought or the mysticism with which, 
as a rule, they become associated. Again, these hands, in the pursuit of what 
they consider truth, will have the patience of the square type, with that love 
of self-martvrdom which is the characteristic of the conic. It is the blending 
of these almost opposite characteristics which brings about the peculiar ideas 
that make men and women with the philosophic type of hands so different 
from the practical drones in the vast hive of humanity. 






Plate V.—THE CONIC. OR ARTISTIC HAND, 







CHAPTER VI. 


THE CONIC HAND. 

The conic hand, properly speaking, is medium-sized, the palm slightly 
tapering, and the fingers full at the base, and conic, or slightly pointed, at the 
tip or nail phalange (Plate V.). It is often confounded with the next type, 
the psychic, which is the long, narrow hand, with extremely long, tapering 
fingers. 

The main characteristics of the conic hand are impulse and instinct. 
People with the conic hand are often, in fact, designated “the children 
of impulse.” There is a great variety in connection with this type, but it is 
more usually found as a full, soft hand, with pointed fingers, and rather long 
nails. Such a formation denotes an artistic, impulsive nature, but one in 
which love of luxury and indolence predominate. The great fault with 
people possessing this type is, that though they may be clever and quick in 
thought and ideas, yet they are so utterly devoid of patience and tire so 
easily, that they rarely, if ever, carry out their intentions. Such people appear 
to their greatest advantage in company, or before strangers. They are good 
conversationalists, they grasp the drift of a subject quickly, but they are 
more or less superficial in knowledge, as also in other things; they have not 
the power of the student, through want of application; they do not reason, 
they judge by impulse and instinct. It is that quality which makes them 
changeable in friendship and affection; one can easily offend them over little 
things. They are also very much influenced by the people they come in con¬ 
tact with, and by their surroundings. They are impressionable in affaires de 
cceur; they carry their likes and dislikes to extremes; they are usually quick¬ 
tempered, but temper with them is but a thing of the moment. They, how¬ 
ever, when out of temper, speak their mind plainly, and are too impetuous to 
study words or expressions. They are always generous and sympathetic, 

37 


38 


Cheiro’s Language of the Hand. 


selfish where their own personal comfort is concerned, it is true, but not in 
money matters; they are easily influenced to give money for charity, but, 
alas ! here they have not the power of discrimination, consequently the money 
is given to anybody or anything which may rouse their sympathies at the 
moment. These hands never get that credit for charity which falls to the 
lot of the more practical types. To get credit for charity very often consists 
m saving what we give to the beggar and giving it to the church, but the conic 
fingers never think of that. The beggar comes, and if the impulse to give is 
there—well, they give, and that is all. 

This interesting type has been called, and deservedly so, the artistic, but 
such relates more to temperament than to the carrying out of the artistic 
ideas. It would really be more correct to say that the owners of such hands 
are influenced by the artistic, than that they are artistic. They are more 
easily influenced by color, music, eloquence, tears, joy, or sorrow, than any 
other type. Men and women possessing this class of hand respond quickly to 
sympathetic influences; they are emotional, and rise to the greatest heights 
of rapture, or descend to the lowest depths of despair, over any trifle. 

"When the conic hand is hard and elastic, it denotes all the good qualities 
of the first-mentioned, but accentuated by greater energy and firmness of will. 
The conic hand hard is artistic in nature, and if encouraged for an artistic 
life the energy and determination will go far toward making success. It 
will have all the quickness of the first, with all the brilliancy and sparkle in 
company and before strangers, and it is for that reason that the conic hand 
has been chosen to represent those who lead a public life, such as actors, 
actresses, singers, orators, and all those who follow a purely emotional 
career. But it must not be forgotten that such people depend more upon 
the inspirational feeling of the moment than thought, reason, or study. 
They will do things well, but will not know why or how they do them. 
The singer will carry away her audience by her own individuality more 
than by study of the song; the actress, from her own emotional nature, will 
stir the emotions of others; and the orator will move multitudes by the elo¬ 
quence of his tongue—not by the logic of his words. It must, therefore, be 
remembered that the type of hand but relates to the natural temperament 
and disposition of the individual; it is the foundation upon which the talent 


39 


The Conic Hand. 

rises or falls. For instance, a woman with square fingers can be as great a 
singer, and may often be capable of rising to greater things than the 
woman with the pointed formation; but she will reach that point by differ¬ 
ent means—by her application, by her study, by her conscientious work, and 
by the greater power of endurance and patience that she possesses. Study 
and development are one half the ladder of fame. Genius sits on the rungs 
to dream, Study works and rises rung by rung; it is the earthworms alone 
who, dazzled by the heights above them, confound the two, and oft crown 
Study and call it Genius. The artistic type as a type but relates to tem¬ 
perament ; the variety of fingers indicates only where that temperament is 
strongest: as, for instance, the artistic hand with square fingers indicates 
more the student, and, consequently, more exactness in foundation, method, 
and correctness; such persons will try and try again until they are successful. 

The spatulate fingers on the artistic hand will give, say, to a painter 
the greater breadth of design and color, the more daring ideas that will make 
the man famous for his originality. The philosophic will give the mystical 
treatment of the idea—the tones and semitones that subdue the already sub¬ 
dued colors. The lights and shades that creep across the canvas, the poem in 
the petals of the asphodel, the Benedictus in the hands that soothe the dying— 
all will be detail, but detail leading to the regions of the spirit; all will be 
calm, but with that calmness that awes one with the sense of the mysterious. 


is: ■ 


CHAPTER VII. 


THE PSYCHIC HAND. 

The most beautiful but the most unfortunate of the seven is what is 
known as the psychic (Plate VI.). This in its purity of type is a very rare 
hand to find. The name explains itself—that which appertains to the soul. 
The very word seems to suggest to one’s mind the old fable of the envy of 
Venus toward the maiden Psyche—the war of the goddess of passion against 
the more spiritual charm of the daughter of the soul. In its pureness of type 
it is a hard hand to find: nineteenth-century civilization does not encourage 
such rare flowers of lily whiteness and icy purity; the calmness, coldness, 
and dreamy cliastety of such a type are not sought after by the present-day 
sons of the soil, whose heads are bowed in the quest for gold, and whose 
oiood is heated by the closeness of the cattle. But although the exact type 
may be hard to find, yet there are hundreds of men and women who so ap¬ 
proach the psychic that they must be considered part of it, particularly 
when the customs that control our present-day life are taken into consider¬ 
ation. The psychic is the most beautiful hand of all. It is in formation 
long, narrow, and fragile-looking, with slender, tapering fingers and long, 
almond-shaped nails. Its very fineness and beauty, however, indicate its 
want of energy and strength, and one instinctively pities such hands if they 
have to try to hold their own in the battle of life. 

Individuals with the psychic hand have the purely visionary, idealistic 
nature. They appreciate the beautiful in every shape and form; they are 
gentle in manner, quiet in temper; they are confiding, and they instinctively 
trust every one who is kind to them. They have no idea of how to be prac¬ 
tical, business-like, or logical; they have no conception of order, punctu¬ 
ality, or discipline ; they are easily influenced by others; against their will, 
they are carried away by the strong rush of humanity. Color appeals to 

40 









The Psychic Hand. 


41 


this nature in the highest possible way; to some, every tone of music, every 
joy, every sorrow, every emotion is reflected in a color. This type is uncon¬ 
sciously a religious one; it feels what is true, but has not the power to seek 
truth. In religion such people will be more impressed with the service, the 
music, and the ceremony than with the logic or truth of the sermon. They 
are innately devotional, they seem to dwell on the confines of the spiritual, 
they feel the awe and the mystery of life, without knowing why. All forms 
of magic and mystery attract them; they are easily imposed upon, and yet 
bitterly resent being deceived. These individuals have the intuitive faculties 
highly developed; they are good as sensitives, mediums, clairvoyants, because 
they are more alive to feelings, instincts, and impressions than are their more 
matter-of-fact brothers and sisters. 

Parents having such children generally do not at all understand how to 
treat them. The strange thing is that they are often the offspring of matter- 
of-fact, practical people. The only way in which I would account for such 
a fact is by the theory of balance: nature, working through hereditary laws, 
finds a point of balance by producing the direct opposite of the parent; thus 
the law of reaction produces the type under examination. Alas! too often 
a temperament of this kind, by the ignorance and stupidity of the parents, 
is forced into some business life, simply because the father is in business. 
The utter wrongness of the life so crushes and dwarfs the nature that very 
often the result of such environment is insanity or an early grave. There is 
no question but that the asylums of the world are largely filled by the utter 
inability of parents for such a position of responsibility; and the sooner this 
fact is recognized, the better. 

Possessors of these beautiful, delicate hands, the indicators of the purely 
sensitive nature, usually feel their position in life so keenly that they too 
often consider themselves useless, and become morbid and melancholy in 
consequence. Such, however, is not the case; there is nothing useless that 
nature calls into creation; the beauty and sweetness of such temperaments 
are often of more use and do more good than those who, by the accumula¬ 
tion of this world’s goods, build a convent or endow a church. They may be 
placed here to establish a balance in the laws of humanity; they may be here 
to increase our love and appreciation of the beautiful; but they are not use 


42 


Clieiro’s Language of the Hand. 


less—of that we may be assured; therefore let us encourage and help them, 
instead of crushing and destroying them as we too often do. Alas! in the 
worldly sense they are generally left far behind in the race for fame and 
fortune. I cannot refrain from drawing the following picture, as illustrative 
of such types: 

They are as lilies thrown, by some ruthless hand, upon the tempest-tossed 
river of life—they seem so helpless in the onward sweep of that terrible cur¬ 
rent. One sees them at times clinging to the banks for pity. Ah! those 
beautiful hands have no strength; they are swept on again by the rising tide 
of bubbling, babbling, frothy humanity. A little lower, one sees them, soiled 
and stained, crouching beneath the shadow of some rock, trying, as it were, 
to look happy amid the weeds that for a moment mock the stream. Again, 
it is the rush of the onward tide or the wash of some passing barge that 
drags them from the shelter of the stone and hurries them nearer and nearer 
to the sea. The river is broader now, quieter, calmer, wider: we expand in 
our views as we leave the narrow banks of youth. See, now, as the night 
is nearing, how those lilies rest and dream upon the tide. The river is silent 
now, the rush is past, the day of life is done. See how it bears the broken 
flowers tenderly, as if sorry for the roughness of its early tide. All is quiet 
now, all is calm. Wider and wider yet it grows, calmer and yet still calmer. 
The end has come. The mists fall now, thicker and closer and whiter. How 
still it is! The silence hangs like a coldness on the heart. The river widens 
out into the sea, and lilies and flowers and weeds drift—it may be to the 
garden of God. 





Plate VII.—THE MIXED HAND, 




\ 







CHAPTER VIII. 


THE MIXED HAND. 

The mixed baud is the most difficult of all to describe. In the chajAei 
on the square I gave an illustration of that type with mixed fingers. In 
that case, however, the mixed fingers have the foundation of the square 
hand, whereas with the true mixed type no such foundation can be cited for 
the student’s guidance. 

The mixed type is so called because the hand cannot possibly be classed 
as square, spatulate, conic, philosophic, or psychic; the fingers also belong 
to different types—often one pointed, one square, one spatulate, one philo¬ 
sophic, etc. 

The mixed hand is the hand Of ideas, of versatility, and generally of 
changeability of purpose. A man with such a hand is adaptable to both 
people and circumstances, clever, but erratic in the application of his talents. 
He will be brilliant in conversation, be the subject science, art, or gossip. 
He may play some instrument fairly well, may paint a little, and so on; but 
rarely will he be great. When, however, a strong line of head rules the hand, 
he will, of all his talents, choose the best, and add to it the brilliancy and 
versatility of the others. Such hands find their greatest scope in work re¬ 
quiring diplomacy and tact. They are so versatile that they have no diffi¬ 
culty in getting on with the different dispositions with which they come into 
contact. Their most striking peculiarity is their adaptability to circum¬ 
stances: they never feel the ups and downs of fortune like others; almost 
all classes of work are easy to them. They are generally inventive, partic- 
ularlv if they can thereby relieve themselves of labor. Tliev are restless 
and do not remain long in any town or place. They are fond of new ideas : 
one moment they determine to write a drama, the next, perhaps, they invent 
a gas-stove or go into politics; but as they are always changing, and un- 

43 


44 


Clieiro's Language of the Hand. 


stable as water, they rarely succeed. It must be remembered that when the 
palm belongs to a certain type these characteristics are much modified; as, 
for instance, mixed fingers on the square, the spatulate, the philosophic, or 
the conic will often succeed where the pure development of the type would 
fail. AVhen the entire hand is mixed it is then that, through versatility of 
talent and purpose, the subject is inclined to become the “Jack of all trades,” 
to which class of unfortunates the individual possessing this type of hand is 
so commonly relegated in works on palmistry. 



1 




SUPPLE-JOINTED THUME. 


FIRM-JOINTED THUM3 



CVs* “b 



i >\0 *1 


(Vo V 








CHAPTER IX. 


THE THUMB. 

The thumb is in every sense so important that it calls for special atten¬ 
tion, not only in the domain of clieirognomy, but also in its relation to cheiro¬ 
mancy. The truth of palmistry could rest upon the solid foundation given 
by the study of the thumb alone, in its relation to the most important char¬ 
acteristics of the subject. 

In every age the thumb has played a conspicuous part, not only in the 
hand, but also in the world itself. It is a well-known fact that among many 
of the tribes of Oriental nations, if the prisoner, when brought before his 
captors, cover his thumb by his fingers, he is in this dumb but eloquent 
fashion giving up his will and independence, and begging for mercy. We 
find in the war annals of the children of Israel instances of their cutting off 
the thumbs of their enemies. Gipsies, in their judgment of character, make 
the thumb the great foundation for all their remarks. Being interested with 
gipsies in my early life, I know this for a fact, for I have seen and watched 
them from the position, angle, and general appearance of the thumb make 
their calculations accordingly. In India they have a variety of systems by 
which they read the hand, but here, again, they make the thumb the center 
and foundation, no matter what system they work out. The Chinese also be¬ 
lieve in palmistry, and they, too, base their remarks on the position of the 
thumb itself. Again, it is an interesting fact to notice that even in Chris¬ 
tianity the thumb has played an important role, the thumb representing 
God; the first finger Christ, the indicator of the will of God, and the only 
finger on the hand that has, by virtue of its position, the power to point, or 
to stand upright independent of the rest; the second representing the Holy 
Ghost, as the attendant to the first. In the Greek church the bishop alone 
gives the blessing by the thumb and first and second fingers, representing the 

45 


46 


Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 


Trinity; tlie ordinary priest lias to use the whole hand. And, again, in the 
old ritual of the English church, we find that in baptism the cross must be 
made by the thumb. 

I do not wish to tire my readers by going into a lengthy dissertation 
upon the medical points which could be given by the hundred in proof of 
the importance of this member; but the most significant of all is that which 
relates to what is known in medical work as the “thumb center” of the brain. 
It is a well-known fact among the specialists of nerve diseases that by an ex¬ 
amination of the thumb they can tell if the patient is affected or is likely to 
be affected by paralysis or not, as the thumb will indicate such a likelihood a 
long time before there has appeared the slightest trace of such a disease in 
any other part of the system. If it indicate such an affection, an operation 
is at once performed on the thumb center of the brain, and if that operation 
is successful (which is again shown by the thumb) they have baffled the dis¬ 
ease and the patient is saved. And yet, in face of this, which is a well- 
known fact, there still are people who do not believe in the study of the hand. 
Within the last few years Dr. Francis Gfalton has demonstrated in London 
the marvelous accuracy by which criminals can be traced by the study of 
the corrugations of the skin of the thumb. Hn passant, the English govern¬ 
ment thought well of the idea, and even proposed to put it into practice—and 
yet that very government arrested and prosecuted palmists during the same 
year in almost every part of the country. Justice is indeed blind. Another 
very interesting point is the old idea of the midwives—an idea, by the way, that 
can easily be seen to contain a good deal of truth. They believed that if the 
child some days after birth was inclined to keep the thumb inside the fingers, 
it foreshadowed great physical delicacy, but if, seven days after birth, the 
thumb was still covered, then there was good reason to suspect that the child 
would be delicate mentally. If one will visit the asylums of the country, he 
cannot fail to notice that all congenital idiots have very weak, poor thumbs; 
in fact, some are so weak as not to be properly developed, even in shape. All 
weak-minded individuals have weak thumbs, and the man or woman who will 
stand talking with the fingers covering and concealing the thumb has little 
self-confidence or self-reliance. It is an interesting thing to watch the hands 
of people when dying. One will see that, as death approaches and the 


The Thumb. 


47 


reason goes, the thumb loses all power and drops in on the hand, but 
that if the reason has only faded temporarily the thumb still retains its 
power and there is every hope of life. It is D’Arpentigny who has said, 

“ The thumb individualizes the man.” This is remarkably true, particularly 
when one follows out Sir Charles Bell’s discovery that in the hand of the 
chimpanzee, which is the nearest approach to the human, though well formed 
in every way, yet the thumb, if measured, does not reach the base of the first 
finger. The deduction to be made is, therefore, that the higher and better- 
proportioned the thumb, the more the intellectual faculties rule, and vice 
versa. This point the student will prove by the most casual observation. 
The man with the short, clumsy, thick-set thumb is coarse and brutish in his 
ideas and animal in his instincts, while the man or woman with the lonsr, 
well-shaped thumb is intellectual and refined, and in the attainment of a 
desire, or the carrying out of an object, such a person will use the strength 
of intellectual will, as opposed to that of brute force, which will be applied by 
the man with the thick, short formation. The thumb, therefore, should be 
long and firm upon the hand. It should not stand at right angles to the 
palm, nor yet should it lie too close to the side. It should have a slope to¬ 
ward the fingers, and yet not lie down on them. When it stands off the 
hand, at right angles to it, the nature will fly to extremes, from sheer in- ^ 
dependence of spirit. It will be impossible to manage or control such natures; 
they will brook no opposition, and the}' will be inclined to the aggressive in 
their manner and bearing. When the thumb is well formed, but lying down, 
cramped toward the fingers, it indicates the utter want of independence of 
spirit. It denotes a nervous, timorous, but cautious nature; it will be impos¬ 
sible to find out what such a person is thinking about or what he intends 
to do; he cannot be outspoken, because his nature is the reverse. If the 
thumb, however, is a long one, he will use his intellectual faculties to outwit 
his opponent, but if it be short and thick he will cautiously await his op¬ 
portunity for any deed of violence that he may meditate. When a well- 
formed thumb, therefore, strikes the happy medium of these two extremes, 
the subject will have sufficient independence of spirit to give him dignity and 
force of character; he will also be properly cautious over his own affairs, and 
have strength of will and decision. It therefore stands : the long, well- 


48 


Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 


formed thumb denotes strength of intellectual will; the short, thick thumb, 
brute force and obstinacy; the small, weak thumb, weakness of will and want 
of energy. 

From time immemorial the thumb has been divided into three parts, 
which are significant of the three great powers that rule the world—love, 
logic, and wfill. 

The first or nail phalange denotes will. 

The second phalange, logic. 

The third, which is the boundary of the Mount of Venus, love. 

When the thumb is unequally developed, as, for instance, the first pha¬ 
lange extremely long, we find that the subject depends upon neither logic nor 

\ 

reason, but simply upon will. 

When the second phalange is much longer than the first, the subject, 
though having all the calmness and exactitude of reason, yet has not sufficient 
will and determination to carry out his ideas. 

When the third phalange is long and the thumb small, the man or woman 
is a prey to the more passionate or sensual side of the nature. 

One of the most interesting things in the study of the thumb is to notice 
whether the first joint is supple or stiff. When supple, the first phalange is 
allowed to bend back, and forms the thumb into an arch; wdien, on the con¬ 
trary, the thumb is stiff, the first phalange cannot be bent back, even by 
pressure ; and these two opposite peculiarities bear the greatest possible rela¬ 
tion to character. 

The supple thumb (Plate VIII.) is the distinctive peculiarity of the Latin 
races ; the stiff joint is more the property of the Northern. The supple joint, 
for instance, is very rare among the Danes, Norwegians, Germans, English, 
and Scotch, whereas it is found in large numbers among the Irish, French, 
Spanish, Italians, and wherever these races have congregated. I hardly think 
that the theory of climatic influence bears out this point. I am more inclined 
to consider that the unconscious influence of the surroundings, prenatal or 
otherwise, has more to do with this peculiarity, for the characteristics that It 
shows in the individual are also the characteristics of the nation to which 
that individual belongs. 


The Thumb. 


49 


THE SUPPLE-JOINTED THUMB. 

For example, the supple-jointed thumb, bending from the hand, is the in¬ 
dication of the extravagant person, not only in matters of money, but in 
thought; these are life’s natural spendthrifts—improvident of time, improvi¬ 
dent of wealth. They have adaptability of temperament for both people and 
circumstances; they are quickly at home in whatever society they are thrown; 
they have the sentimental love of kindred and country, as opposed to the 
practical; they settle down easily to new work and new surroundings, and 
consequently they quickly make a home in whatever country they are placed. 

THE FIRM-JOINTED THUMB. 

Again, in a general way, the exact opposite of all this is found among the 
people with the stiff, firm joint (Plate YIII.). In the first place, they are more 
practical; they have a strong will and a kind of stubborn determination which 
makes them rather stronger in character, and which is a large element in 
their success. They are more cautious and secretive ; they advance by slow 
steps where the other nature will act by leaps and bounds. Again, they are 
not erratic like the first mentioned; they stick to one thing; they carry out 
their purpose with a kind of resistless stubbornness ; they have the practical 
idea of making the most out of their own home and their own country; they 
rule with strength; they have a keen sense of justice; they control self as they 
would control machinery; in war they are solid, strong, and resistless: in 
love they are undemonstrative, but firm and stanch; in religion their 
churches are plain, but solid; in art they have the strength of them own 
individuality. 

THE SECOND PHALANGE. 

The next important characteristic of the thumb is the shape and make of 
the second or middle phalange. It will be found that this varies greatly 
and is a decided indicator of temperament. It has two noticeable formations, 
namely, the narrow molded center or waist-like appearance (Fig. 3, Plate 
VIII.), and its opposite, which is full and more clumsy (Fig. 1, Plate VIII.). 

In London, in 1892, when I published my “ Book on the Hand,” which 
was to be followed later by this larger and fuller work, I called attention to 



50 


Cheir 0’s Language of the Hand. 


the great difference, as far as character is concerned, shown by these two 
formations. My statement that the waist-like appearance indicated tact 
aroused a good deal of interest, and as it was taken exception to by some of 
my critics, I will here endeavor to show in a logical way why such should be 
the case. In the first place, the student has by this time seen the truth of my 
remarks about the finer formation of the thumb being the indication of the 
greater development of the intellectual will, and the coarse formation that of 
the nature that will use more brute force in the accomplishment of an object. 
It therefore follows that the waist-like appearance, which is a portion of the 
finer development, indicates the tact born of mental power, whereas the 
fuller, coarser development indicates force in the carrying out of a purpose, 
in keeping with the characteristics of each nature. 

When the first or nail phalange is thick and heavy, with a short, flat nail, 
it is a sure indication of the ungovernable passion of the subject. All brutal 
animal natures have such clubbed formations, the force of blind passion com¬ 
pletely dominating whatever reason they possess. Such people, as a rule, 
also have the first joint stiff, and the two points together give that terrible 
obstinacy of purpose that drives the subject, once out of temper, into deeds 
of violence and crime. The flat first phalange, consequently, whether short 
or long, is more calm in matters of temper and more controlled by reason. 

When the hand is hard the natural tendency toward energy and firm¬ 
ness indicated by the thumb is increased ; consequently the subject with the 
hard, firm hand and the first phalange of the thumb well developed will be 
more resolute of purpose and more determined in the execution of his ideas 
than is the subject with the soft hand. 

When the hand is soft the subject will be more inclined to use his will by 
fits and starts, but cannot be so much depended upon in the execution of his 
jflans. 

One very striking peculiarity to be found in this study of human nature 
through the medium of the hand is shown in the case of people with the 
supple or bending-back thumb. They rarely have the same keenness of moral 
consciousness that is found with those of the straight, firm development. 
They are generally more those impulsive children of nature in whom con¬ 
science in morals does not play so important a part. 






SQUARE WITH SMOOTH JOINTS. 


POINTED, WITH SMOOTH JOINTS. DEVELOPED JOINTS. 


Plate iX 








CHAPTER X. 


THE JOINTS OF THE FINGERS. 

The development or 11011-development of the joints of the fingers is a 
very important consideration in the reading of the hand. The joints are. 
figuratively speaking, walls between the phalanges, and are important indica¬ 
tions of the peculiarities as well as of the temperament of the subject. 

When the subject has what are known as smooth joints he is more in¬ 
clined to be impulsive in thought and to arrive at conclusions without using 
the reasoning faculties. A\ ith square hands this is very much modified, 
but not by any means eradicated. Consequently a scientific man with square 
fingers, but with smooth joints (Fig. 1, Plate IX.), will jump at conclusions 
without being always able to account for them. Such a doctor will diagnose 
a patient in the same way; if the man be really talented he may be very 
accurate in his conclusions, but such a man is more apt to make mistakes 
than the man with the square type with developed joints. With the pointed 
hands the smooth joints are purely intuitive (Fig. 2, Plate IX.); they cannot 
be troubled with details of any kind; they are also careless in dress, appear¬ 
ance, and in little matters. Such a person in business affairs could not keep 
papers and little things in their places, although he would be very particular 
in insisting upon order in other people. 

The opposite is found in the case of people with the developed joints 
(Fig. 3, Plate IX.). Work has nothing to do with the increase or diminution 
of such formations; the smooth joints are as often found among men who do 
the hardest kind of manual labor as the knotty or developed joints among 
men who do nothing but mental work. They are sometimes found running 
in families for generations, or appearing in one child and but slightly found 
in all the others. In the breeding of animals it may be observed, enpassant , 
how often little peculiarities of this kind occur, and also how significant they 

51 


Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 


52 


are. Thus, when one considers how wonderful are the laws of heredity, he 
will study these “little things ” with greater interest. For instance, there is 
that well-known fact that if a woman gives birth to a child by her first hus¬ 
band, children who follow by the second, third, or even fourth husband, as 
the case may be, all in some slight way exhibit the peculiarities of the first 
husband. 

The developed joints being the oj^posite of the smooth, it follows that 

they show more exactness in method and work. In this case, a man with the 

square hand and developed joints, engaged in some scientific pursuit, does 

not care how much time he spends in working out details in connection with 

any science in which he is engaged. It is the same reason that makes the 

philosophic hands so exact about detail in connection with their work. The 

owners of these joints notice the slightest thing out of place in even the 

arrangement of a room. They worry over little things, though in important 

matters they will be cool and calm. Men with these developed joints have 

an almost feminine instinct in matters of dress—thev class and blend color 

«/ 

well, and nothing will irritate them more than to accompany a woman the 
colors of whose costume do not harmonize. In dramatic work, people with 
such joints are careful and accurate in the delineation of character, but 
lack dramatic breadth and force. Outside of science, they perhaps make their 
best mark in literature, because of their extraordinary power of analyzing 
human nature, and because of the true instinct arid knowledge of humanity 
which seems to come to them without effort. We must therefore draw the 
deduction that these developed walls or joints between the phalanges, figura¬ 
tively speaking, stop the tide of impulse, and make the nature more observant, 
thoughtful, and analyzing. 


CHAPTER XI. 


THE FINGERS. 


Fingers are either long or short, irrespective of the length of the palm to 
which they belong. 

Long fingers give love of detail in everything—in the decoration of a 
room, in the treatment of servants, in the management of nations, or in the 
painting of a picture. Long-fingered people are exact in matters of dress, 
quick to uotice small attentions ; they worry themselves over little things, 
and have occasionall}’ a leaning toward affectation. 

Short fingers are quick and impulsive. They cannot be troubled about 
little things; they take everything en masse; they generally jump at con¬ 
clusions too hastily. They do not care so much about appearances, or for the 


conventionalities of society; they are quick in thought, and hasty and out¬ 
spoken in speech. 

Fingers thick and clumsy, as well as short, are more or less cruel and 


selfish. 


When the fingers are stiff and curved inward, or naturally contracted, 
they denote an excess of caution and reserve, and very often indicate a 
cowardly spirit. 

When they are very supple and bend back like an arch, they tell of a 
nature charming in company, affable and clever, but curious and inquisitive. 

Naturally crooked, distorted, twisted fingers 011 a bad hand indicate a 
crooked, distorted, evil nature; on a good hand they are rarely found, but if 
found they denote a quizzical, irritating person. 

When a small fleshy ball or pad is found 011 the inside of the nail pha¬ 
lange, it denotes extreme sensitiveness and tact through the dread of causing 
pain to others. 

When the fingers are thick and puffy at the base, the subject considers 


54 


Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 


his own comfort before that of others; he will desire luxury in eating, drink¬ 
ing, and living. When, on the contrary, the fingers at the base are shaped 
like a waist, it shows an unselfish disposition in every way, and fastidiousness 
in matters of food. 

When, with the fingers open, a wide space is seen between the first and 
second, it indicates great independence of thought. When the space is wide 
between the third and fourth, it indicates independence of action. 

THE LENGTH OF THE FINGERS IN RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER. 

The first finger on some hands is very short; again, on others, it is as 
long as the second, and so on. 

When the first, or index finger, is excessively long, it denotes great 
pride, and a tendency to rule and domineer. It is to be found in the hands 
of priests as well as politicians. Such a man, literally speaking, will “ lay 
down the law.” 

When this finger is abnormal, namely, as long as the second, it indicates 
great pride of disposition, a desire for power, the “ one man, one world ” 
creed. Napoleon was a striking example of this rule; on his hand the first 
finger was abnormal, it being fully equal to the second. 

When the second finger (the finger of Saturn) is square and heavy, it 
shows a deeply thoughtful, almost morbid nature. 

When pointed, the reverse—callousness and frivolity. 

When the third finger (the finger of the Sun) is nearly of the same length 
as the first, it denotes ambition for wealth and honor through its artistic 
leanings, and a great desire for glory. If excessively long, almost equal to the 
second, it denotes the nature that looks at life in the light of a lottery, one 
that gambles with all things—money, life, and danger—but one endowed withal 
with strong artistic instincts and talents. 

The spatulate termination for this third finger is an excellent sign for the 
actor, orator, or preacher. It indicates that his artistic gifts are strengthened 
by the dramatic or sensational power, the breadth, the color necessary to 
appeal to audiences. 

When the fourth, or little finger, is well-shaped and long, it acts as a kind 


00 


The Fingers. 

of balance in the hand to the tlmmb, and indicates the power of the subject to 
influence others. When very long-—almost reaching to the nail of the third— 
it shows great power of expression in both writing and speaking, and the 
owner is more or less the savant and philosopher: one who can converse with 
ease on any subject; one who interests and commands people by the manner 
in which he will apply facts and knowledge to the treatment of anything 
brought under his notice. Mr. Gladstone is a good example of this class; on 
his hand his fourth finger nearly reaches the nail of the third. 


CHAPTER XII. 


THE PALM, AND LAEGE AND SMALL HANDS. 

A thtn, hard, dry palm indicates timidity, and a nervous, worrying, 
troubled nature. 

A very thick palm, full and soft, shows sensuality of disposition. 

When the palm is firm and elastic, and in proportion to the fingers, it in¬ 
dicates evenness of mind, energy, and quickness of intellect. 

When not very thick, but soft and flabby, it denotes indolence, love of 
luxury, and a tendency toward sensuality. 

A hollow palm lias been proved to be an unfortunate sign ; such people 
usually have even more disappointments than fall, as a rule, to the lot of 
mortals. I have as well noticed a peculiarity that has not been mentioned 
in other works on the subject, namely, that the hollow inclines more to one 
line or portion of the hand than to another. 

If it inclines to the line of life, it promises disappointment and trouble in 
domestic affairs, and if the rest of the hand denotes ill-health, it is an added 
sign of delicacy and trouble. 

When the hollow comes under the line of fate, it indicates misfortune in 
business, money, and worldly affairs. 

When under the line of heart it tells of disappointment in the closest 
affections. 

I do not hold with other works on the subject, that the fingers must be 
longer than the palm to show the intellectual nature. The palm of the hand is 
never, properly speaking, exceeded in length by the fingers. How can we ex¬ 
pect this to be the case with the square, spatulate, and philosophic types? 
The statement that in every case the fingers must be longer than the palm is 
erroneous and misleading. 


5(3 


The Taint, and Large and Small Hands. 


57 


LAEGE AND SMALL HANDS. 

It is a thing well worth remarking, that, generally speaking, people with 
large hands do very fine work and love great detail in work, while those with 
very small hands go in for large things, and cannot bear detail in employ¬ 
ment. In 1892 I examined the hands of the diamond setters and engravers 
engaged in some of the largest goldsmith’s establishments in Bond Street, 
London, and out of nearly a hundred, I did not find a single exception to this 
rule. One man—and I have the cast before me now—had extraordinarily large 
hands, yet he was famed for the fineness and minutiae of the work which those 
great hands turned out. 

Small hands, on the contrary, prefer to carry out large ideas, and, as a 
rule, make plans far too large for their power of execution. They love to 
manage large concerns and govern communities, and, speaking generally, 
even the writing of small hands is large and bold. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


THE NAILS. 

Particularly as regards health, and the diseases likely to affect the sub¬ 
ject, the nails will be found to be remarkably sure guides. Medical men in 
both London and Paris have lately taken up this study of the nails with great 
interest. Often a patient does not know, or for the moment forgets, what his 
parents have suffered or died from; but an examination of the nails will in 
a few seconds disclose important hereditary traits. I will first treat of the 
health side of the question, then of the disposition, as shown by this study. 

In the first place, the care of the nails does not alter or affect their type 
in the slightest degree: whether they are broken by work or polished by 
care, the type remains unchanged. For instance, a mechanic may have long 
nails, and the gentleman at ease may have very short, broad ones, though he 
manicure them every morning. 

Nails are divided into four distinct classes : long, short, broad, and 
narrow. 

LONG NAILS. 

Long nails never indicate such great physical strength as the short, broad 
type. Very long nailed persons are more liable to suffer from chest and lung 
trouble, and this is more accentuated if the nails are much curved, both from 
the top back toward the finger and across the finger (Fig. 7, Plate X.). This 
tendency is even more aggravated if the nail is fluted or ribbed (Fig. 10, 
Plate X.). 

This type of nail, when shorter, indicates throat trouble, such as laryngy- 
tis, asthma, and bronchial affections (Plate X.). 

Long nails, very wide at the top and bluish in appearance, denote bad 
circulation proceeding from ill-liealth or nervous prostration. This is very 


2 




Plate X.—NAILS, 













































Plate XL—NAILS. 


P5»a$ 












The Nails. 


59 


often the case with the hands of women between the ages of fourteen and 
twenty-one and forty-two and forty-seven. 

SHORT NAILS. 

Short, small nails run in whole families in which there is a tendency 
toward heart disease (Plate XI.). 

Short nails, thin and flat at the base, with little or no moons, are sure 
signs of weak action of the heart, and, generally speaking, heart disease. 

Large moons indicate good circulation. 

Short nails, very flat and sunken, as it were, into the flesh at the base, 
show nerve diseases (Plate XI.). 

Short nails, very flat and inclined to curve out or lift up at the edges, are 
the forerunners of paralysis, particularly if they are white and brittle as 
•well as flat. If the latter is the case the disease is more advanced (Fig. 9, 
Plate XI.). 

Short-nailed people have a greater tendency to suffer from heart trouble 
and from diseases affecting the trunk and lower limbs than those with long 
nails. 

Long-nailed persons are more liable to trouble in the upper half of the 
system—in the lungs, chest, and head. 

Natural spots on the nails are signs of a highly strung nervous tempera¬ 
ment ; when the nails are flecked with spots the whole nervous system requires 
a thorough overhauling. 

Thin nails, if small, denote delicate health and want of energy. Nails 
very narrow and long, if high and much curved, threaten spinal trouble, and 
never jmomise very great strength. 

DISPOSITION AS SHOWN BY THE NAILS. 

In disposition, long-nailed individuals are less critical and more impres¬ 
sionable than those with short nails. They are also calmer in temper and 
more gentle. 

Long nails show more resignation and calmness in every way. As a rule 
their owners take things easily. Such nails indicate great ideality ; they also 


CO 


Clieiro's Language of the Hand. 


show an artistic nature, and their owners, as a rule, are fond of poetry, paint¬ 
ing, and all the fine arts. Long-nailed persons, however, are rather inclined 
to be visionary, and shrink from looking facts in the face, particularly if those 
facts are distasteful. 

Short-nailed individuals, on the contrary, are extremely critical, even of 
things relating to self; they analyze everything with which they come into 
contact; they incline to logic, reason, and facts, in opposition to the visionary 
qualities of the long-nailed. Short-nailed individuals make the best critics ; 
they are quicker, sharper and keener in their judgment; they are, as well, fond 
of debate, and in an argument they will hold out till the very last; they have 
a keener sense of humor and of the ridiculous than the long-nailed ; they are 
quick and sharp in temper, and are more or less skeptical of things they do 
not understand. 

When the nails are broader than they are long, they indicate a pugnacious 
disposition, also a tendency to worry and meddle and to interfere with other 
people’s business. 

Nails short by the habit of biting indicate the nervous, worrying tem¬ 
perament. 

I do not pay any attention to the spots on the nails, except as a sign of 
illness through nervous strain. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


THE HAIR ON THE HANDS. 

A Suggestive Theory. 

If the exponent of palmistry has to read hands through a curtain, with¬ 
out seeing his subject, the hair growing on the hand, although seemingly 
unimportant, to a thorough student becomes a study of very great note and 
magnitude. A slight knowledge of the laws that govern the growth of hair 
will not, therefore, be out of place. The hair is used by nature to fulfil a great 
many useful purposes in connection with the body. I will give those only 
that are necessary to the student of this particular study, namely, the cause 
of the color of the hair, of its coarseness and fineness, as illustrative of dis¬ 
position. 

In the first place, each hair is in itself a fine tube; these tubes are in 
connection with the skin and the skin nerves. These hairs or tubes are, 
literally speaking, escape-valves for the electricity of the body, and by the 
color they take in the passage of that electricity, so should the student be able 
to determine certain qualities of temperament of which he would otherwise 
be ignorant. For example : If there is a large amount of iron or pigment in 
the system, the flow of this electricity through the hair forces it into these 
tubes and makes the hair black, brown, blond, gray, or white, as the case may 
be. Individuals with blond or fair hair, therefore, have less iron and dark 
pigment in the system. As a rule they are more languid, listless, gentle, and 
more influenced by people and surroundings than those of the darker type. 

People with very dark hair, although often less energetic in work, will 
have more passion in temper, will be more irritable and more energetic in 
affection than those of the fairer type, and so in every degree of shade until 
we come to the extreme opposite of the dark type, namely, those with red 

G1 


(32 


Clieird’s Language of the Hand. 


hail*. If we will examine hair, we will find that red hair is coarser in quality 
as a rule than either black, brown, or blond. Now, being coarser or larger, 
the tube itself is, consequently, wider, and therefore shows the greater quan¬ 
tity of electricity that escapes, and of which these natures have the greatest 
amount. It is not that they have as much pigment as the dark people, but 
having the greater supply and force of electricity, they are consequently the 
more excitable and quicker to rouse to action than either the black, brown, 
or blond. 

AY hen the system gets old, or becomes enfeebled by excess or dissipation, 
the electricity, not being generated in such large quantities, is nearly or en¬ 
tirely consumed by the system itself; the pigment is no longer forced into 
these hair tubes, and consequently they commence to grow white at the outer 
ends, and so on, till the entire hair or tube becomes white. It is the same in 
the case of a sudden shock or grief—the hair often stands on end from the 
force of the nervous electric fluid rushing through these tubes; reaction 
naturally sets in immediately, and the hair often becomes white in a few 
hours. A r ery rarely can the system recover from such a strain, and conse¬ 
quently very rarely will the hair resume its color. 

In America more people are to be found with white hair than, I think, 
in any other country in the world. This theory accounts for the fact, 
when it is remembered that no people go through so much, or live under 
such high pressure, as do the Americans. The climate of the country has, I 
consider, a great deal to do with their temperament; the brightness and bril¬ 
liance of the atmosphere, even in winter, the peculiar nerve-stimulating 
quality of the air, all combine to cause its men and women to press forward 
with a keen spirit of competition, both in work and in amusement. This 
theory of the color of the hair has never, to my knowledge, been put forward 
in this way before. I commend it to the attention of those who do not lose 
sight of the fact that in the Book of Nature nothing is so small that it may 
not give us knowledge, and as knowledge is power, let us therefore not 
be ashamed to seek it, even in little things. 




Plate XII.—THE MOUNTS OF THE HAND 



CHAPTER XV. 


THE MOUNTS, THEIR POSITION AND THEIR MEANINGS. 


In my work I always class the mounts of the hand (Plate XII.) with the 
hand itself, and therefore I treat of them in the section of this work devoted 
to cheirognomy. Again, in the consideration of this point, I must state that, 


although manual labor will have the effect of coating the hand with a rougher 


and thicker development of skin, yet it does not depress or decrease what are 
known as the mounts, and which, again, in their turn, show constitutional 
characteristics, which are doubtless caused by the hereditary laws which 
govern and control the intermingling of races. As regards the use by 
cheiromants of the old-time names, such as the Mount of Venus, Mars, etc., 
I must here state that I do not use these names in any sense in relation to 
what is known as Astrological Palmistry. I do not for one moment deny that 
there may be a connection—and a very great one—between the two; but 1 
do not think it necessary to consider it in conjunction with this study of the 
hand, which study I hold to be in every way complete in itself. Consequently, 
I use such names as Venus, Mars, Saturn, etc., simply as a quicker way of 
giving the student an idea of the qualities I wish to describe. These qualities 
have been associated so long with such names in our minds as Mars, the 
martial nature, and so on, that their mere mention recalls them, end the em¬ 
ployment of these terms will, therefore, simplify matters much more than if 
I were to call the mounts by numbers, as first, second, third, and so forth. 


THE MOUNT OF VENUS. 


The Mount of Venus is und at the base of the thuff) 

(Plate XII.). Whop hot abnormally large it is a favorable sign the hand 
of man or woman .f This mount cove 1 * 1 and nlost important 

blood-vessels in tl| hand, the grce j Hence, if the Mount of 





64 


Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 


Venus be well developed, it indicates strong and robust health. A small 

# 

Mount of Venus betrays poor health and, consequently, less passion. 

The Mount of Venus, abnormally large, indicates a violent passion for the 
opposite sex. 

This mount denotes affection, sympathy toward others, benevolence, a 
desire to please, love and worship of beauty, love of color, and melody in 
music, and the attraction of the one sex to the other. 

THE MOUNT OF JUPITER. 

This mount is the raised formation at the base of the first finger (Plate 
XII.). When developed it shows ambition, pride, enthusiasm in anything 
attempted, and desire for power. 

THE MOUNT OF SATURN. 

This is found at the base of the second finger (Plate XII.), and denotes 
love of solitude, quietness, prudence, earnestness in work, proneness to the 
study of somber things, and appreciation of music of a sacred or classical 
order. 


THE MOUNT OF THE SUN. 

This mount is found at the base of the third finger, and is also called the 
Mount of Apollo (Plate XII.). When well developed it indicates an enthu¬ 
siastic appreciation of all things beautiful, whether or not one follows a purely 
artistic calling. It denotes love of painting, poetry, literature, and all imagi¬ 
native work, also grace of mind and thought. 

THE MOUNT OF MERCURY. 

The mount of this name is found at the base of the fourth finger (Plate 
> I 1 .). It denotes all the mercurial qualities of life—love of change, travel, 
excitement, wit, quick ness of thought and expression. If the rest of the hand 
is favorable, th* qualities indited b : , his mount will r iound to the good 
of the subject, if unfavorable, to his misfortune. 


\ 


The Mounts, tlieir Position and their Meanings. 


65 


THE MOUNT OF MAES. 

There are two mounts of this name; the first beneath the Mount of 
Jupiter, but inside the line of life, lying next to the Mount of Venus (Plate 
XII.). This, the first, gives active courage, the martial spirit, but when large, 
shows a very quarrelsome, fighting disposition. 

The second lies between the Mount of Mercury and the Mount of 
Luna (Plate XII.). It denotes passive courage, self-control, resignation, and 
strength of resistance against wrong. 

THE MOUNT OF LUNA. 

The Mount of Luna lies on the side of the hand beneath the Mount of 
Mars and directly opposite the Mount of Venus (Plate XII.). 

It indicates refinement, imagination, love of beautiful scenery, a taste 
for the romantic, great ideality, and a fondness for poetry and imaginative 
literature. 

THE LEANING OF THE MOUNTS TOWAED ONE ANOTHEK. 

When the mounts lean toward one another, the qualities of each are 
blended and developed in unison. 

For example, if Saturn lean toward Jupiter, it gives the latter some of 
its love of solemn things—its prudence, sadness, and its religious tendency. 

If Saturn incline toward the Mount of the Sun, Saturn’s solemn thoughts 
and ideas will blend with the artistic taste of the subject, and if the Mount of 
the Sun lean to Mercury, art will influence the business or scientific nature 
of the individual. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


THE HANDS OF NATIONS. 

That different types of faces and bodies are characteristic of different 
nations is a well-known fact. There is a familiar statement which I would 
quote here : “ The law which rounds a dewdrop shapes a world.” There¬ 
fore, if certain laws produce different types in different races they also produce 
different shapes of hands and bodies as illustrative of the different character¬ 
istics. The intermingling and intermixing by marriage, etc., must naturally 
modify the pureness of the different types; but that it does not destroy the 
entire individuality cannot for a moment be doubted. 

4 / 

THE ELEMENTARY HAND. 

Starting with the elementary hand, it is rarely if ever found in its purity 
among civilized nations. We find this type among the primitive races in 
extremely cold latitudes, as, for instance, among the Esquimaux and the 
inhabitants of Iceland, Lapland, and the northern portion of Russia and 
Siberia. 

Such people are phlegmatic and emotionless; even the nerve centers of 
the body are not in a high state of development, therefore they do not feel 
pain as keenly as the other types. They are more animal in their instincts 
and brutal in their desires; they are devoid of aspirations, and have only 
sufficient mentality to make them distinct from the brute creation. In a 
slightly more developed form the elementary hand is found in more southern 
and civilized nations. 

THE SQUARE HAND AND THE NATIONS REPRESENTED BY IT. 

The square hand, generally speaking, is found among the Swedes, Danes, 
Germans, Dutch, English, and Scotch. The chief characteristics which it 

66 


The Hands of Nations. 


67 


denotes are love of method, logic, reason, respect for authority and law, and 
conformity to conventionality and custom. It shows an undemonstrative 
and more or less unemotional nature; it will follow life’s beaten track with 
dogged stubbornness and tenacity of purpose, will build solid houses, rail¬ 
ways, and churches; will kneel at the shrine of the useful, and will pay 
homage to the practical side of life. 

THE PHILOSOPHIC. 

This is essentially the hand of the Oriental nations. In European coun¬ 
tries, it is to this type or to the possessors of its modifications that we are 
indebted for the modernized principles of Buddhism, Theosophy, and all 
doctrines and ideas that tend in that direction. It is essentially the hand of 
the mystic or of the religious devotee. Individuals with these hands will en¬ 
dure any privation or self-denial in defense of the religion they follow. The 
world may call such people cranks; but the world crucified its Christ, and 
mocked and persecuted its greatest teachers. Its opinion, therefore, should 
only affect the scales of dross, not the balance of thought. 

THE CONIC. 

This type, properly speaking, is peculiar to the south of Europe, but by 
the intermingling of races it has been carried far and wide over the world. 
It is largely found among Greek, Italian, Spanish, French, and Irish races. 
The distinctive characteristics which it denotes are, a purely emotional 
nature, impulse in thought and action, artistic feeling, impressionability and 
excitability. It has been designated “ The Hand of Impulse.” Such hands 
are not the hands of money-makers, like the square or the spatulate. They 
show a lack of practical business sense, but nature compensates their owners 
with the poetic, the visionary, and the romantic. 

THE SPATULATE. 

With all the varieties of national types that have found their way at 
some time or another to America; with all the admixture of races found in 
that enormous continent, the spatulate hand is the type which has to a great 


68 


Cheiro’s Language of the Hand. 


extent swallowed up all the others. This hand, and, consequently, the char¬ 
acteristics that it represents, has to my mind played the important role in 
the history of that great country. As I may claim to be a cosmopolitan in 
every sense of the word, I can therefore take an unbiased standpoint in 
reading the character of nations as I would that of the individual. The 
spatulate hand, as I stated before, is the hand of energy, originality, and rest¬ 
lessness. It is the hand of the explorer and the discoverer, which terms can 
also be applied to discoveries in science, art, or mechanics. Spatulate hands 
are never conventional; they have little respect for law, less for authority. 
They are inventors, more from the quickness of their ideas than from the 
solidity of earnest work as exemplified by the square; they may utilize other 
men’s ideas, but they will try to improve upon them ; they love risk and 
speculation; they are versatile, and their chief fault is their changeability— 
they shift from one thing to another with the mood of the moment; they are 
fanatics in their fads, enigmas in their earnestness; but, even with such faults, 
it is to a people many-sided and many-talented like this that the world must 
look for her new ideas, for the inventions and discoveries in science, re¬ 
ligion, or materialism which must in years to come work out the evolution of 
humanity. 


THE PSYCHIC. 

This peculiar type is not confined to any particular country or kindred; 
it is evolved sometimes among the most practical, sometimes among the most 
enthusiastic. Yet is it neither practical nor enthusiastic in itself; it may be 
an evolution of all the types, reaching into that plane in which there may 
be seven senses instead of five. Certain it is that its owners are not of the 
earth, earthy, nor yet of heaven—for they are human; they make up no 
distinct community, but are found in all and of all. It may be that, as their 
beautiful hands are not formed for the rough usage of this world, so their 
thoughts are not suited to the material things of life ; their place may be in 
giving to mankind that which is but the reflection of mankind; thus in the 
shadow may we find the substance, and thus in the speculation that this type 
gives rise to may we find that wisdom that sees the fitness and the use of all 
things. 


PART II.—CHEIROMANCY. 


CHAPTER I. 

A FEW REMARKS IN REFERENCE TO THE READING OF THE HAND. 

Before I proceed to explain the more intricate details of cheiromancy, I 
wish to address a few words to the student, as well as to the casual reader 
who may take sufficient interest in this study to glance through this book. 

In the first place, in my earnest desire to make this work a thoroughly 
reliable guide in all matters connected with palmistry, I have been compelled 
to bring the details of the study prominently before the reader and to enlarge 
on certain points that may be considered dry and uninteresting. This the 
student may resent during the commencement of his enthusiasm, but later he 
will, I think, see its advantages, as I have endeavored to make even the de¬ 
tails as graphic as possible. I have not confined myself to the set theories of 
any particular school; I have gathered whatever information this book con¬ 
tains from, I may say, the four corners of the earth, and in presenting this 
information to those who desire to learn, I do so with the knowledge that I 
have proved whatever statements I make to be correct. The one point I 
would, however, earnestly desire to impress upon the student is the necessity 
for conscientious study and patience. As there are no two natures alike, so 
there are no two hands alike. To be able to read the hand is to be able to 
read the book of nature—there is no study more arduous, there is none more 
fascinating or that will repay the time and labor spent upon it with more 
interest. 

To do this study justice, I cannot and will not pretend, as do the gene¬ 
rality of writers on this subject, that it is an easy matter, by following this, 

69 



70 


Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 


that, or the other map of the hand, or by taking some set rules as a guide, to 
be able to “ read the hand” without any exercise of the student's mentality. 
On the contrary, I shall show that every line, without exception, is modified, 
by the particular type to which it belongs, as, for instance, a sloping line of 
head on a square hand has a completely different meaning from the same 
sloping line on a conic or philosophic type, and so on. I have written this 
book with the object of making it not only interesting to the reader, but use¬ 
ful to the student. I have endeavored to make every point as clear and 
concise as possible, but the student must bear in mind the enormous difficul¬ 
ties that lie in the way of making a clear explanation of every point in 
connection with such an intricate study. 

The next point to be borne in mind is the difference of opinion which 
will be met with, and which is often used as an argument against palm¬ 
istry. Now we must remember that it is only through the concentration 
of different minds, and the consensus of different opinions, that we can 
ever hope to reach the truth on any subject. No better illustration of this 
can be found than in the divergency of opinion that has existed and always 
will exist in religion, as well as in scientific study. What body of students 
have, or can have, more divergency of opinion, for instance, than medical 
men? I must, therefore, say, in the words which a celebrated physician 
once used to his pupils, that we should, in the pursuit of any particular branch 
of study, take the teachings which we have the most reason to believe are 
correct, and that by building upon such a foundation we will attain greater 
heights of knowledge than the individual who follows every new teacher who 
for a moment, like the will-o’-the-wisp, flits across the shifting sands of 
human fancy. Particularly in palmistry, I would say, take some work which 
you have good reason to believe is at least near the truth, and by following 
that out with the light of your own mentality and reason you will be 
more likely to succeed than those who, shifting their ground according to 
every fancy, find themselves at last without faith, without hope, and, worse 
still, without knowledge. 

The chief point of difference between my teachings and those of other 
writers lies in the fact that I class the various lines under different heads, 
treating of each particular point. 


A Few Remarks in Reference to the Reading oj the Hand. 71 

This will be found not only more easy and less puzzling for the student, 
but also more in accordance with reason. For instance, I hold that the line 
of life relates to all that affects life, to the influences which govern it, to its 
class as regards strength; to the natural length of life, and to the important 
changes of country and climate. I regard the line of head as related to all 
that affects mentality, and so on with every other line, as will be seen later. 
This plan I have found to be the most accurate, as well as the simplest, and 
more in accordance with those teachers whose ideas we have every reason to 
respect. 

As regards dates, I depart from the usual formula, and instead advance 
a theory which has been considered “ at least interesting and reasonable,” in 
the dividing of the life into sevens, in accordance with the teachings of 
nature. I will illustrate this when I come to that portion of this work 
dealing with time and dates. 


CHAPTER II. 


THE LINES OF THE HAND. 

There are seven important lines on the hand, and seven lesser lines 
(Plate XIII.). The important lines are as follows: 

The Line of Life. W llich embraces the Mount of Venus. 

The Line of Head, which crosses the center of the hand. 

The Line of Heart, which runs parallel to that of the head, at the 
base of the fingers. 

The Girdle of Venus, found above the line of heart and generally 
encircling the Mounts of Saturn and the Sun. 

The Line of Health, which runs from the Mount of Mercury down 
the hand. 

The Line of Sun, which rises generally on the Plain of Mars and 
ascends the hand to the Mount of the Sun. 

The Line of Fate, which occupies the center of the hand, from the 
wrist to the Mount of Saturn. 

The seven lesser lines on the hand are as follows: 

The Line of Mars, which rises on the Mount of Mars and lies within 
the Line of Life (Plate XIII.). 

The Via Lasciva , which lies parallel to the line of health (Plate XIII.). 

The Line of Intuition, which extends like a semicircle from Mercury 
to Luna (Plate XII.). 

The Line of Marriage, the horizontal line on the Mount of Mercury 
(Plate XIII.), and 

The three bracelets found on the wrist (Plate XIII.). 



Plate XV.—SIGNS FOUND IN THE HAND. 




The Lines of the Hand. 


73 


The main Hues are known by other names, as follows : 

The Line of Life is also called the Vital. 

The Line of Head, the Natural or Cerebral. 

The Line of Heart, the Mensal. 

The Line of Fate, the Line of Destiny, or the Saturnian. 

The Line of Sun, the Line of Brilliancy, or Apollo. 

The Line of Health, the Hepatica, or the Liver Line. 

The hand is divided into two parts or hemispheres by the line of head. 

The upper hemisphere, containing the fingers and Mounts of Jupiter, 
Saturn, the Sun, Mercury, and Mars, represents mind, and the lower, con¬ 
taining the base of the hand, represents the material. It will thus be seen 
that with this clear point as a guide the student will gain an insight at once 
into the character of the subject under examination. This division has 
hitherto been ignored, but it is almost infallible in its accuracy; as, for 
example, when the predisposition is toward crime the line of head rises into 
the abnormal position shown by Plate XXIV., which, taken from life, is one 
instance in the thousands that can be had of the accuracy of this statement. 


CHAPTER III. 


IN RELATION TO THE LINES. 

The rules in relation to the lines are, in the first place, that they should 
be clear and well marked, neither broad nor pale in color; that they should 
be free from all breaks, islands, or irregularities of any kind. 

Lines very pale in color indicate, in the first place, want of robust 
health, and, in the second, lack of energy and decision. 

Lines red in color indicate the sanguine, hopeful disposition; they show 
an active, robust temperament. 

Yellow lines, as well as being indicative of biliousness and liver trouble* 
are indicators of a nature self-contained, reserved, and proud. 

Lines very dark in color, almost black, tell of a melancholy, grave tem¬ 
perament, and also indicate a haughty, distant nature, one usually very 
revengeful and unforgiving. 

Lines may appear, diminish, or fade, which must always be borne in 
mind when reading the hand. The province of the palmist, therefore, is to 
warn the subject of approaching danger by pointing out the evil tendencies 
of his nature. It is purely a matter of the subject’s will whether or not he 
will overcome these tendencies, and it is by seeing how the nature has 
modified evils in the past that the palmist can predict whether or not evils 
will be overcome in the future. In reading the hand, no single evil mark 
must be accepted as decisive. If the evil is important, almost every prin¬ 
cipal line will show its effect, and both hands must be consulted before the- 
decision can be final. A single sign in itself only shows the tendency ; when, 
however, the sign is repeated by other lines, the danger is then a certainity. 
In answer to the cpiestion, Can people avert or avoid danger or disaster 
predicted in the hand? I answer that decidedly I believe that they can;, 
but I say just as decidedly that they rarely if ever do. I know hundreds 

74 


« 





ow^vc 





V\<^ 


WlU^ 



^'\\\ 


\> 


^vtoi^ vT^A 




^‘^*2* V^sAt V ‘fj'Mft •> 




^'<^\0 CWv^ft\\^vus 


Plate XIV.-—Tune, FORMATIONS. 


























In Relation to the Lines. 


75 

ttf cases in my own experience where people were given accurate warn¬ 
ings which they did not realize till too late. The most remarkable ex¬ 
ample of this which I can recall was the case of a woman well known in 
London society. I warned her of an accident caused by animals which 
would make her infirm for the rest of her life, and which would happen at 
the y ery point of age that she had then reached. She promised that she 
would be careful, and departed. A week later, one dull foggy’ night, she 
ordered her horses; again she got a warning, this time through her husband, 
who begged her not to go out, as the horses yvere restive and the night bad. 
The horses were brought round, and with them the last warning: her 
coachman had been taken seriously ill, and a substitute had to take his place. 
Even this did not deter her, and she started. The coachman could have 
gone four different ways to reach her destination, but, strange to say, he took 
the most unlikely, and drove through Bond Street. It was in doing this that 
the most remarkable point in this example was reached. The man lost 
control of the horses; they took fright, dashed in on the sidewalk: the carriage 
was smashed against a lamp-post, and, by an extraordinary coincidence, its 
occupant was carried unconscious into my own hall. I am sorry to say that 
the prediction has proved only too true: she has never recovered from those 
injuries, and never will. 

I make no comment on this strange story; I simply relate the facts as 
they occurred. 

The above is only one example in many that could be cited to show that 
we rarely if ever will go by warnings, no matter in what way they may be 
given. 

. When an important line, such as the line of head or of life, is found yvith 
what is called a sister line ( a-a , Plate XVI.), namely, a fine line running by its 
side, it is a sign that the main line is thus strengthened; consequently any 
break in the main line will be, as it were, bridged over by this mark, and the 
danger lessened or prevented. This is more often found in connection with 
the line of life than with any other. 

If there is a fork at the end of any line, except that of life (Plate XVI.), 
it gives greater power to that line; as, for instance, on the line of head it in¬ 
creases the mentalitv, but makes more or less of a double nature. 

%> i 


76 


Clieird’s Language of the Hand. 


When, however, the line ends in a tassel ( h-h , Plate XVI.) it is a sign of 
weakness and destruction to any line of which it forms part, particularly 
at the end of the line of life, where it denotes weakness and the dissipation of 
all the nerve qualities. 

Branches rising from any line (a-a, Plate XIV.) accentuate its power and 
strength, hut all branches descending denote the reverse. 

At the commencement of the line of heart, these lines are most important 
when considering the success of marriage for the subject: the ascending lines 
at this point indicate vigor and warmth of the affections (a-a, Plate XVII.); 
the descending, the opposite. 

On the line of head ascending branches denote cleverness and ambitious 
talent (c-c, Plate XVI.), and on the line of fate they show success in all under¬ 
takings made at that particular point. 

A chained formation in any line is a weak sign (Plate XIV.): if on the line 
of heart it denotes weakness and changeability of affection; if on the line of 
head, want of fixity of ideas, and weakness of intellect. 

Breaks in any line denote its failure ( c-c , Plate XVII.). 

A wavy formation weakens the power of the line {h-h, Plate XVII.). 

Capillary lines are those little hair-lines running by the side of the main 
line, sometimes joining it, sometimes falling from it; they denote weakness, 
like the chained formation (Fig. 8, Plate XIV.). 

When the entire hand is covered with a network or multitude of little 
lines running aimlessly in all directions, it betrays mental worry, a highly 
nervous temperament, and a troubled nature. 

As the little grains make mountains, so do these little points make this 
study great. I therefore recommend their close consideration. 


CHAPTER IV. 


THE EIGHT AND LEFT HANDS. 

The difference between the right and left hands is another important point 
to be considered. The most casual observer, looking at even a limited num¬ 
ber of hands, is generally struck by the marked difference which as a rule 
exists in the shape and position of the lines in the right and left hands of the 
same person. 

This is an important point to be observed by the student. In practice, my 
rule is to examine both hands, but to depend more upon the information 
given by the right than that given by the left. There is a well-known old 
saying on this point: “Theleft is the hand we are born with; the right is the 
hand we make.” This is the correct principle to follow, the left hand indi¬ 
cating the natural character, and the right showing the training, experience, 
and the surroundings brought to bear on the life of the subject. The old 
idea of reading the left hand simply because it is nearest to the heart belongs 
to the many superstitions which degraded the science in the middle ages. 
The heart at that time was regarded as the supreme organ—hence this 
medieval superstition. If, however, we examine this study from a logical and 
scientific standpoint, we find that the greater use of the right hand for long 
generations has placed it, as regards both nerves and muscles, in a more 
perfect state of development than the left. It is usually exercised in 
carrying out the thoughts of the brain, being, as it were, the more active 
servant of the mind. If, therefore, as has been demonstrated, the human 
body passes through a process of slow and steady development, and every 
change it undergoes affects and marks its effect upon the entire system, it 
follows that it is more logical and reasonable to examine the right hand for 
those changes which even at that moment are taking place, and upon which 
the development of the future depends. 


78 


Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 


My advice, therefore, is: place both hands side by side; examine them, 
and see what the nature has been, see what it is; find the reason by your ex¬ 
amination for this or that change; and, in forecasting what will be, depend 
upon the development of the lines in the right hand. 

It is very interesting to note that left-handed people have the lines more 
clearly marked on the left hand, and vice versa. Some people change so 
completely that hardly two lines are alike on both hands; again, some change 
so slightly that the difference in the lines is barely perceptible. The general 
rule to follow is, that when a marked difference is shown by both hands the 
subject has had a more interesting, eventful life than the person with both 
alike. The more interesting details as to a subject’s past life, and even the 
very changes in his method of work and ideas, can be brought to light by a 
careful examination conducted in this way. 






Plate XVI. 






















CHAPTER V. 


THE LINE OF LIFE. 

What we know as life is but existence, 

A waiting-place, a haven by the sea, 

A little space amid immeasured distance, 

A glimpse, a vista, of that life tc be. 

Cheiro. 

As I remarked in an earlier portion of tliis subject, in that period of the 
world’s history when the greatest study of mankind was man, as there came 
to be recognized a natural position on the face for the nose, eyes, etc., so also 
on the hand there came to be recognized a natural position for the line of life, 
the line of head, and every other mark that the hand possesses. Thus, if the 
lines take abnormal courses it is only reasonable that abnormal character¬ 
istics are to be expected; and if so as regards temperament, why not in rela¬ 
tion to health ? People who consider this subject lightly object to the power 
given to the palmist in his ability to predict dis.ase or death; but a little 
thought will show that nothing, after all, is more reasonable than one’s ability 
to do this by careful study. It is admitted that in the body of every person 
there lurks a germ or tendency that will some day prove fatal. Who, there¬ 
fore, can have the presumption to deny that this germ by its presence 
affects the nerve-fluid, which in its turn affects the nerves, and they 
the hand? Again, without touching on the presence in the body of the 
all-knowing, omnipotent soul or spirit life, if we acknowledge—as we do 
-—the unexplained mysteries of the passive and active brain, we must also 
acknowledge that the slightest germ of disease or weak point in the sys¬ 
tem must be known to the brain in all its stages of advance and attack, and 
will, therefore, be registered by the brain on the hand through the nerve-con¬ 
nection between the two, as has already been demonstrated. Thus, by the 

79 


80 


CheircPs Language of the Hand. 


development or non-development of this line or that mark is the palmist able 
to say that a certain disease at a certain time will cause illness with such and 
such a result. Bearing these arguments in mind, we will now proceed to an 
examination of what has become known as the line of life. 

The line of life (Plate XIII.) is the line which, rising under the Mount of 
Jupiter, goes down the hand and embraces the Mount of Venus. On it is 
marked time, also illness and death, and events foreshadowed by the other 
important lines are verified. 

The line of life should be long, narrow, and deep, without irregularities, 
breaks, or crosses of any kind. Such a formation promises long life, good 
health, and vitality. 

When the line is linked (Pig. 10, Plate XIV.) or made up of little pieces 
like a chain, it is a sure sign of bad health, and particularly so on a soft hand. 
When the line recovers its evenness and continuity, health also is regained. 

When broken in the left hand and joined in the right, it threatens some 
dangerous illness; but if broken in both hands it generally signifies death. 
This is more decidedly confirmed when one branch turns back on the Mount 
of Venus (c-c, Plate XVII.). 

When the line starts from the base of the Mount of Jupiter, instead of 
the side of the hand, it denotes that from the earliest the life has been one of 
ambition. 

When the line is chained at the commencement under Jupiter, bad health 
in early life is foreshadowed. 

When the line is closely connected with that of the head, life is guided by 
reason and intelligence, but the subject is extremely sensitive about every¬ 
thing which affects self, and more or less cautious in enterprises for self (d-d, 
Plate XVI.). 

When there is a medium space between the line of life and that of head, 
the subject is more free to carry out his plans and ideas; it also denotes 
energy and a very go-ahead spirit {d-d, Plate XVII.). 

When, however, the space is very wide, it is a sign of too much self- 
confidence and dash; it indicates that the subject is foolhardy, impulsive, 
hasty, and not guided by reason. 

When the lines of life, head, and heart are all joined together at the com- 


The Line of Life. 


81 


mencement (a-a, Plate XVIII.), it is a very unfortunate sign, denoting that 
the subject, through a defect in temperament, rushes blindly into danger and 
catastrophe. This mark, as far as temperament is concerned, indicates the 
subject’s want of perception, both in personal dangers and in those arising 
from dealings with other people. 

When the line of life divides at about the center of the hand, and one 
branch shoots across to the base of the Mount of Luna ( b-h , Plate XVIII.), it 
indicates on a firm, well-made hand a restless life, a great desire for travel, 
and the ultimate satisfaction of that desire. When such a mark is found on 
a flabby, soft hand, with a sloping line of head, it again denotes the restless 
nature, craving for excitement, but in this case the craving will be gratified 
in vice or intemperance of some kind. This statement, as will be seen, can 
be logically and easily reasoned out: the line crossing to the Mount of Luna 
denotes the restless nature craving for change, but, the hand being soft and 
flabby, the subject will be too lazy and indolent to satisfy this craving by 
travel, and the sloping line of head in this case showing a weak nature, the 
reason for this statement is apparent. 

When little hair-lines are found dropping from or clinging to the line of 
life, they tell of weakness and loss of vitality at the date when they appear. 
The} 7 are very often found at the end of the line itself, thus denoting the 
breaking up of the life and the dissipation of vital power ( h-b , Plate XVI.). 

All lines that rise from the line of life are marks of increased power, gains, 
and successes. 

If such a line ascend toward or run into the Mount of Jupiter {c-c, Plate 
XVIII.), it will denote a rise in position or step higher at the date it leaves 
the line of life. Such a mark relates more to successful ambition in the 
sense of power than anything else. If the line, on the contrary, rise to 
Saturn and follow by the side of the line of fate, it denotes the increase of 
wealth and worldly things, but resulting from the subject’s own energy and 
determination (d-d, Plate XVIII.). 

If the line leave the line of life and ascend to the Mount of the Sun, it 
denotes distinction according to the class of hand. 

If it leave the line of life and cross to Mercury, it promises great 
success in business or science, again in accordance with the class of hand 


82 


Cheiro's Language of the Hand . 


—whether square, spatulate, or conic. For instance, such a line on the square 
would indicate success in business or science; on the spatulate, in invention 
or discovery: and on the conic it would foretell success in monev matters, 
reached by the impulsive action of such a nature, as in sudden speculation 
or enterprise. 

When the line of life divides toward the end and a wide space is shown 
between the lines, it is an indication that the subject will most probably end 
his life in a country different from that of his birth, or at least that there will 
be some great change from the place of birth to the place of death (a-ei, Plate 
XIX.). 

An island on the line of life means an illness or loss of health while the 
island lasts ( b . Plate XIX.), but a clearly formed island at the commencement 
of the line of life denotes some mystery connected with the subject’s birth. 

The line running through a square (c, Plate XIX.) indicates preserva¬ 
tion from death, from bad health when it surrounds an island, from sudden 
death when the life-line running through is broken, and from accident when 
a little line cutting the life-line lises from the Plain of Mars (d, Plate XIX.). 

A square, whenever found on the line of life, is a mark of preservation. 

Of the great attendant line (Plate XIII.) found parallel to and within the 
line of life, otherwise called the liue of Mars, I shall speak later. This atten¬ 
dant line, the line of Mars, which rises on the Mount of Mars, must not be 
confounded with those springing from the liue of life itself, nor with those 
that rise upon the Mount of Venus. The simplest rale to bear in mind is, 
that all even, well-formed lines following the line of life indicate favorable 
influences over the life (f-f Plate XVII.), but that all those risingin the oppo¬ 
site direction and cutting the life-line show worries and obstacles caused by 
the opposition and interference of others {g-g, Plate XVII.). Where these 
lines end and how they terminate is, therefore, an important point in this 
study. 

When they cut the liue of life only ( g-g , Plate XVII.), they denote the 
interference of relatives—generally in the home life. 

When they cross the life-line and attack the liue of fate (e-c, Plate 
XVI.). they denote people who will oppose us in business or worldly inter¬ 
ests, and where they cut the fate-line the point of junction gives the date. 


The Line of Life. 


83 


When they reach the line of head (f-f Plate XVI.), they indicate persons 
who will influence our thoughts and interfere with our ideas. 

When they reach and cut the line of heart ( g-g , Plate XVI.), they denote 
interference in our closest affections, and here the date of such interference is 
given where the line cuts the life-line, and not where it touches the line of 
heart. 

When they cut and break the line of sun ( h-h , Plate XVI.), they denote 
that others will interfere and spoil our position in life, and that the mischief 
will be caused by scandal or disgrace at the point of junction. 

When the line ci'osses the hand and touches the line of marriage (h-h, 
Plate XVII.), it signifies divorce, and will occur to the person on whose hand 
it appears. 

When this crossing-line lias in itself a mark like an island or any ap¬ 
proach to it, it denotes that the person who will cause the trouble has had 
either scandal or some such trouble in connection with his or her own life 
(ij Plate XVII.). 

When, on the contrary, the ray-lines run parallel as it were to attend the 
life-line, they denote the most important influences of our lives (f-f Plate 
XVII.). 

I draw special attention to this system, as it prevails among the Hindus, 
where its use dates back to time immemorial. The following points have 
been obtained by close study of the precepts and their practical application 
bv the Hindus themselves, and not a few of them have been translated 
almost verbatim from the quaint leaves of that ancient work before men¬ 
tioned. When minuteness of detail is required, the remarkable accuracy of 
this system makes it especially valuable. 

I will give the leading points only, as the subject is well-nigh inex¬ 
haustible. 

In the first place, if the ray-line rise on the Mount of Mars (e-e, Plate 
XVIII.), and lower down touch or attack the life-line in any way, it denotes on 
a woman’s hand some unfavorable attachment in her eail\ life which will 

cause her much trouble and annoyance. 

If the same line, however, only send offshoots or rays to the line of life 
(f-f, Plate XVIII.), it denotes a similar influence, but one that will continue 


* 


84 


Clieiro’s Language of the Hand. 


to persecute her at different intervals. Again, such a line on a woman’s hand 
is illustrative of the nature of the man who influences her, as denoting a 
fiery, passionate, animal temperament. 

If, however, the ray-line should rise by the side of the line of life and 
travel by the side of it ( f-f Plate XVII.), it shows, on the woman’s hand, that 
the man who enters into her life has the gentler nature, and that she will 
strongly influence him. 

If the ray-line, rising at any point, in traveling with the life-line, retreats 
farther in on the Mount of Venus, thus away from the life, it indicates that 
the person with whom the woman is connected will more and more lose 
sympathy with her, and will eventually drift out of her life altogether (i-i> 
Plate XVI.). 

When the ray-line, however, runs into an island or becomes one itself, it 
foretells that the influence over her life will run into disgrace, and that some¬ 
thing scandalous will result. 

When the attendant line fades out by the side of the life-line, but renews 
itself later, it tells that the person influencing the life will cease his influence 
at that particular point, but that it will be renewed again. 

When the line of influence fades altogether, total separation—generally 
death—will be the result of such companionship. 

When one of these attendant lines joins a cross-line and runs over the 
hand with it, it foretells that through the instrumentality of another the 
affection of the person influencing the life will change to hate, and that this 
will cause injury at whatever point it touch the life, the fate, the head, or the 
line of heart (e-e, Plate XIX.). 

The farther the ray-lines lie from the line of life, the farther removed 
from our lives will those influences be. But, as before remarked, one could 
easily fill a volume on these lines and cross-lines, which with the Hindus are 
the foundation for all systems connected with palmistry. 

By this system alone, then, it is reasonable to assume that the student 
can predict marriages by considering the relation which these lines bear to 
the life-line. We will again refer to this point when we consider the ques¬ 
tion of marriage. 

Another interesting phase of this subject is the consideration of the 


The Line of Life. 


85 


number of these lines of influence (it being remembered that only those near 
the line of life are important). Numerous lines indicate a nature dependent 
upon affection. Such people are what is called passionate in their disposition; 
they may have many liaisons , but iu their eyes love redeems all. On the 
other hand, the full, smooth Mount of Venus indicates that the individual is 
less affected by those with whom he is associated. 

When the line of life sweeps far out into the hand, thus allowing the 
Mount of Venus a greater scope, it is in itself a sign of good physical strength 
and long life. 

When, on the contrary, it lies very close to the Mount of Venus, health 
is not so robust or the body physically so well built. The shorter the line 
the shorter the life. 

That the line of life does not always show the exact age at which death 
takes place I am quite convinced. This line merely denotes the natural term 
of the subject’s life apart from accidental influences. Catastrophes indicated 
by other lines of the hand may cut short a life that would otherwise be long. 
For instance, a break in the head-line at certain points, as explained in Chap¬ 
ter VII., will foretell death just as surely as would the broken life-line. 
Again, and most important of all, the slope and position of the line of health 
in relation to the life-line is a point which hitherto has not received the 
attention it deserves. When we consider the line of health, the relation that 
these lines bear to one another will be treated in detail. I may, however, 
here remark that, when it is of equal strength with that of life, where these 
lines meet will be the point of death, even though it be years in advance of 
when the life-line ends. Such a death will be caused by whatever disease is 
indicated by the health-line, and the province and one of the many uses of 
this study is to find out and warn the subject of that germ of disease which 
is even then the enemy of the system. 

In addition to the information I have given here concerning islands, 
squares, etc., I refer the student back to Chapter III., which treats of them 
more fully. As regards time and the calculation of events, a special chapter 
will be devoted to these subjects. 


CHAPTER VI. 


THE LINE OF MARS. 

The line of Mars (Plate XIII.) is otherwise known as the inner vital or 
inner life line. It rises on the Mount of Mars, and sweeps down by the side of 
the line of life, but is distinct in every way from those faint lines known as the 
attendant lines, of which I spoke a little earlier. 

The general characteristic of the line of Mars is that it denotes excess of 
health on all square or broad hands; to a man of this type it gives a mar¬ 
tial nature, rather a fighting disposition, and robust strength. It also denotes 
that while it runs close to the life-line the individual will be engaged in 
many quarrels, and will be subject to a great deal of annoyance which will 
bring all his martial or fighting qualities into play. It is always an excellent 
sign on the hand of a soldier. 

When a branch shoots from this line out to the Mount of Luna ( b-b , 
Plate XX.), it tells that there is a terrible tendency toward intemperance of 
every kind, through the very robustness of the nature, and the craving for 
excitement that it gives. 

The other type of the line of Mars is found on the long narrow hand, and 
here it is generally by the side of a delicate fragile, line of life. Its character¬ 
istics in such a hand are that it supports the life-line, carrying it past any 
dangerous breaks, and giving vitality to the nature. 

A broken line of life with such a line beside it will at the point of the 
break indicate closeness to death, but helped bv this mark the subject will 
recover, through the great vitality given by the line of Mars. 


86 



Explanation of Movement. 

The needle started at 1, went to 2, from 2 to 3, from 3 to 4-, and so on with the numbers marked inside the chart. 

The numbers outside show the duration of the stoppage, viz: in No. 1 chart it will be seen that at No. 2 movement the needle remained for five 
seconds before it moved to 3, whereas in No. 2 chart at No. 2 movement it would not remain steady. 










































Plate XVII. 
















CHAPTER VII. 


THE LINE OF HEAD. 

“ To know is power”—let ustlien be wise, 

And use our brains with every good intent, 

That at the end we come with tired eyes 
And give to Nature more than what she lent. 

Cheiro. 

The line of head (Plate XIII.) relates principally to the mentality of the 
subject—to the intellectual strength or weakness, to the temperament in its 
relation to talent, ami to the direction and quality of the talent itself. 

It is of extreme importance in connection with this line that the peculiar¬ 
ities of the various types be borne in mind; as, for instance, a sloping line of 
head on a psychic or conic hand is not of half the importance of a sloping 
line on a square hand. We will, however, take general characteristics first, 
and proceed to consider variations afterward. 

The line of head can rise from three different points—from the center of 
the Mount of Jupiter, from the commencement of the line of life, or from the 
Mount of Mars, within the life-line. 

Rising from Jupiter (c-c, Plate XX.) and yet touching the line of life, it 
is, if a long line of head, the most powerful of all. Such a subject will have 
talent, energy, and daring determination of purpose, with boundless ambition 
combined with reason. Such a man will control others, yet not seem to con¬ 
trol them; he will have caution even in his most daring designs; he takes 
pride in his management of people or things, and is strong in rule, but just in 
the administration of power. 

There is a variation of this which is almost equally strong. This again 
rises on Jupiter, but is slightly separated from the line of life. Such a type 
will have the characteristics of the first, but with less control and diplomacy. 

87 


88 


Clieiro's Language of the Hand. 


He will be liasty in decision, impetuous in action. As a leader in a crisis such 
a man would find his greatest opportunity. When, however, the space is very 
wide, the subject will be foolhardy, egotistical, and will rush blindly into 
danger. 

The line of head from the commencement of the line of life, and 
connected with it (d-d, Plate XVI.), indicates a sensitive and more nervous 
temperament; it denotes excess of caution; even clever people with this mark 
rein themselves down too tightly. 

The line of head rising from the Mount of Mars, within the life-line (f-f 
Plate XIX.), is not such a favorable sign, it being the extreme on the in¬ 
side of the life-line, as the wide-spaced head-line is the extreme on the out¬ 
side. This indicates a fretful, worrying temperament, inconstant in thought, 
inconstant in action; the shifting sands of the sea are more steadfast than are 
the ideas of such an individual, and the connection with Mars gives his 
nature this one disagreeable trait—he is always in conflict with his neigh¬ 
bors ; he is also highly sensitive, nervous, and more or less irritable. 

The generalities indicated by the line of head are as follows: 

When straight, clear, and even, it denotes practical common sense and a 
love of material things more than those of the imagination. 

When straight in the first half, then slightly sloping, it shows a balance 
between the purely imaginative and the purely practical; such a subject will 
have a level-headed, common-sense way of going to work, even when dealing 
with imaginative things. 

When the entire line has a slight slope, there is a leaning toward imag¬ 
inative work, the quality of such imagination denoting, in accordance with 
the type of hand, either music, painting, literature, or mechanical invention. 
When very sloping, romance, idealism, imaginative work, and Boliemianism. 
Wlien sloping, and terminating with a fine fork on the Mount of Luna, it 
promises literary talent of the imaginative order. 

When extremely long and straight, and going directly to the side of the 
hand (the percussion), it usually denotes that the subject has more than 
ordinary intellectual power, but is inclined to be selfish in the use of that 
power. 

When this line lies straight a’cross the hand and slightly curves upward 


The Line of Head. 


89 


on Mars {g-g, Plate XIX.), the subject will win unusual success in a business 
life; such a man will have a keen sense of the value of money—it will accumu¬ 
late rapidly in his hands. Such a sign, however, denotes the taskmaster of 
Pharaoh who expects his work-people to make bricks without straw. 

When the line is short, barely reaching the middle of the hand, it tells of 
a nature that is thoroughly material. Such a man will utterly lack all the 
imaginative faculties, although in things practical he will be quite at home. 

When abnormally short, it foreshadows some early death from some 
mental affection. 

When broken in two under the Mount of Saturn, it tells of an early 
sudden death by fatality. 

When linked, or made up of little pieces like a chain, it denotes want of 
fixity of ideas, and indecision. 

When full of little islands and hair-lines, it tells of great pain to the head 
and danger of brain disease. 

When the line of head is so high on the hand that the space is extremely 
narrow between it and the line of heart, the head will completely rule the 
heart, if that line be the strongest, and vice versa. 

If the line should turn at the end, or if, in its course down the hand, it 
sends an offshoot or branch to any particular mount, by so doing it partakes 
of the qualities of that mount: 

Toward the Mount of Luna, imagination, mysticism, and a leaning 
toward occult things. 

Toward Mercury, commerce or science. 

Toward the Sun, the desire for notoriety. 

Toward Saturn, music, religion, and depth of thought. 

With a branch to Jupiter, pride and ambition for power. 

If a branch from the line of head rises up and joins the line of heart, it 
foreshadows some great fascination or affection, at which moment the subject 
will be blind to reason and danger. 

A double line of head is very rarely found, but when found it is a sure 
sign of brain power and mentality. Such people have a perfectly double 
nature—one side sensitive and gentle, the other confident, cold, and cruel. 
They have enormous versatility, great command of language, a peculiar 


90 Cheird’s Language of the Hand. 

power for playing and toying with human nature, and generally great will 
and determination. 

When the line of head is broken in two on both hands, it foretells some 
fatal accident or violence to the head. 

An island is a sign of weakness O', Plate XVII.). When clearly defined, 
if the line does not extend farther, the person will never recover. 

If the line of head sends an offshoot to or runs into a star on the Mount 
of Jupiter, it is a sign of wonderful success in ail things attempted. 

When a number of little hair-lines branch upward from the line of head 
to that of heart, the affections will be a matter of fascination, not of love. 

When the line of head runs into or through a square, it indicates preser¬ 
vation from accident or violence by the subject’s own courage and presence 
of mind. 

When there is a space found between the line of head and that of life, it 
is beneficial when not too wide; when medium, it denotes splendid energy 
and self-confidence, promptness of action and readiness of thought (f-f 
Plate XXI.). This is a useful sign for barristers, actors, preachers, etc., but 
people with such a mark would do well to sleep on their decisions—they are 
inclined to be too hasty, self-confident, and impatient. When this space is 
extremely wide, it denotes foolhardiness, assurance, excessive effrontery, and 
self-confidence. 

When the line of head, on the contrary, is very tightly connected with 
that of life, and low down in the hand, there is utter want of self-confidence. 
Such individuals suffer greatly from extreme sensitiveness, and the slightest 
thing will wound and grieve them. 


CHAPTER VIII. 


THE LINE OF HEAD IN RELATION TO THE SEVEN TYPES. 

The general rules to be observed in connection with this most remarkable 
point are as follows : 

The line of head is usually in accordance with the type of hand on which 
it is found—namely, practical on a practical type, imaginative on an artistic, 
and so on. It therefore follows that signs contrary to the nature are more 
important than characteristics indicated in accordance with it. 

These peculiarities, it is therefore more reasonable to assume, relate to 
the development of the brain outside and beyond its natural characteristics. 
Such a divergence might be accounted for by the theory that the various ten¬ 
dencies of the brain reach their working point through a process of slow 
growth and development, similar to-tlie evolutions of life itself. It therefore 
follows that at the age of twenty there may be the commencement of a develop¬ 
ment which may alter the entire life at thirty ; but as that change has already 
commenced in the brain, so must it affect the nerves and thus the hand. Thus 
a tendency toward a change of thought or action is indicated years before it 
takes place. 

Starting with the elementary hand, or the nearest approach to it found 
in these countries, the natural head-line on such a type would be short, 
straight, and heavy; consequently the development of it to any unusual ex¬ 
tent will show unusual characteristics in such a subject. For instance, such 
a line of head dropping downward toward Luna will show an imaginative 
but superstitious tendency, completely at variance with the brutal and animal 
nature it influences. This accounts for the fear of the unknown, the super¬ 
stitious dread that is so often found among the lower class of humanity, 
particularly among savage tribes. 


91 


92 


Cheiro’s Language of the Hand. 


THE LINE OF HEAD IN DELATION TO THE SQUARE HAND. 

The square hand, as I have stated (Part I., Chapter III.), is the useful or 
practical hand; it deals with logic, method, reason, science, and all things 
appertaining to such matters. 

The line of head on such a type is straight and long, in keeping with 
the characteristics of the hand itself. It therefore follows that the slight¬ 
est appearance of this line sloping, being the direct opposite to the nature, 
shows even a greater development of the imaginative faculties than a far 
greater slope of the same line on a conic or psychic, but the difference 
in the class of work would be the difference of temperament. The square 
hand with the sloping head-line would start with a practical foundation for 
imaginative work, whereas the other would be purely inspirational and 
imaginative. This difference is extremely noticeable in the hands of writers, 
painters, musicians, etc. 

THE LINE OF HEAD IN RELATION TO THE SPATULATE HAND. 

The spatulate hand (Part I., Chapter IV.) is the hand of action, invention, 
independence, and originality. The natural position for the line of head on 
this type is long, clear, and slightly sloping. When, therefore, on such a hand 
this sloping is accentuated, the result is that all these characteristics are 
doubled or strengthened; but when lying straight, the opposite of the type, 
the subject’s practical ideas wiil keep the others so much in check that the 
plans of the imagination will not get scope for fulfilment, and, as far as the 
temperament is concerned, the nature will be restless, irritable, and dis¬ 
satisfied. 


THE LINE OF HEAD IN RELATION TO THE PHILOSOPHIC HAND. 

The philosophic hand (Part I., Chapter V.) is thoughtful, earnest in the 
pursuit of wisdom, but imaginative and rather eccentric in the application of 
ideas to every-day life. The natural position for the line of head on this type 
is long, closely connected with the line of life, set low down on the hand, and 
sloping. The unnatural type, or the man with the straight line of head on 


The Line of Head in Relation to the Seven Types. 9d 

the philosophic hand, the line set high on the hand and straight, is critical, 
analytical, and cynical; he will pursue wisdom, and particularly the study of 
his fellow-men, only to analyze their faults and failings, to expose their fads, 
fancies, and foibles; he will stand on the border-land of the mystic, to sneer 
at the unreal, to laugh in the face of the real; he will fear nothing, neither 
things spiritual nor things material; he can be imaginative or practical at 
will; a genius that discredits genius, a philosopher that disarms philosophy 
—such is the hand of a Carlyle. 

THE LINE OF HEAD IN EEFEEENCE TO THE CONIC HAND. 

The conic hand (Part I., Chapter VI.) belongs to the artistic, impulsive 
nature, the children of ideas, the lovers of sentiment. 

In this type the natural position for the line of head is that which grad¬ 
ually slopes downward to the Mount of Luna, generally to the middle of it. 
This is the most characteristic, and gives the freedom of Bohemianism to 
these worshipers of the beautiful; here it is that we find the greatest leaning 
toward sentiment, romance, and ideality, in opposition to the practical qualities 
of the square type. These are indeed the luxurious children of the Sun; 
they have a keen appreciation for the things of art, but are often without the 
power to give expression to their artistic ideas. However, when the line of 
head is straight, in combination with such a nature, a very remarkable result 
follows. The subject with such a hand will make every use of his artistic 
ideas and talents, but in a practical direction; he will intuitively feel what 
the public demands; he will not care for art so much as for the money it 
brings; he will conquer the natural love of ease and luxury by strength of 
common sense and determination ; where the man with the sloping head-line 
would paint one picture he will paint ten—and, furthermore, he will sell them. 
Why ? Because through his practical business sense he will know what the 
public wants, and as is the demand, so will be the supply. 

THE LINE OF HEAD IN EELATION TO THE PSYCHIC HAND. 

The natural position for the line of head on this hand is extremely sloping, 
giving all the visionary, dreamy qualities in accordance with this type. It 


Cheiro’s Language of the Hand. 


9 ^ 

is one of the rarest things to find a straight line of he^n on such a hand, 
but when found it is generally on the right hand, the left being still very 
sloping. Such a formation denotes that by the pressure of circumstances the 
entire nature has undergone a change and has become more practical. This 
type, even with the straight line of head, can never be very material or busi¬ 
ness-like, but in matters of art the subject will have a very good chance, as 
he would have more opportunity to exercise his talents, yet even in art it 
would require the greatest tact and strongest encouragement to induce him 
to turn his talents to practical use. 

By such illustrations the student will understand how to make every 
other modification in accordance with the type of hand. The modifications 
of the head-line are more important than any other marks that the hand 
possesses. 


CHAPTER IX. 


INSANITY AS SHOWN BY THE LINE OF HEAD. 

Thebe is really no tendency which the hand denotes more plainly than 
insanity, whether hereditary or brought on by circumstances. The multitude 
of forms which could be gathered under this heading cannot be entered into 
in this work, but I will endeavor to show the most general. 

It must be borne in mind that any point that is beyond the normal is ab¬ 
normal. When, therefore, the line of head sinks to an abnormal point on the 
Mount of Luna, the imagination of the subject is abnormal and unnatural. 
This will be more important in the elementary, square, spatulate, and philo¬ 
sophic, than in relation to the conic or psychic types. When the line of head, 
even on a child’s hand, reaches this unnatural point, it may grow up to man¬ 
hood or womanhood with perfect clearness and sanity of ideas, but as surely 
as a mental shock or strain comes, so surely will that brain be thrown off its 
balance, and insanity will be the result. 

The same development of the line of head, with an unusually high Mount 
of Saturn, will denote a morbidly imaginative nature from the very start 
(Plate XXV.). Such a subject is gloomy, morose, and melancholy, and this 
tendency, even without cause, generally increases until the subject completely 
loses his or her mental balance. 

Temporary insanity is shown by a narrow island in the center of a slop¬ 
ing line of head, but this mark generally indicates some brain-illness or 
temporary insanity consequent upon brain-fever. 

The hand of the congenital idiot is remarkable for its very small, badly 
developed thumb, and for a line of head sloping and made up of broad lines 
filled with a series of islands, like a chain. 

I have further illustrated these remarks in Part III., Chapter "V ., on various 
phases of insanity as shown by the hand. 

95 


1)6 


Clieiro’s Language of the Hand. 


MURDEROUS PROPENSITIES AS SHOWN BY THE LINE OF HEAD. 

The mere act of murder, such as one man killing another in the heat of 
passion or in self-defense, is not shown by the hand except as a past event, 
and then only when it has deeply affected a very sensitive nature; but if 
propensities for crime exist, the age at which they will reach their active 
or working point in the nature is decidedly shown, as I will proceed to 
demonstrate. 

I have explained in the foregoing remarks that, when the line of head is 
abnormal in one direction, abnormal characteristics are the result, such as in¬ 
sanity, morbidness, and extreme melancholy, which under certain conditions 
lead to self-murder. These, however, are abnormal characteristics denoted 
by the falling line. We will now consider the abnormalities indicated by the 
rising line of head. 

It will be remembered that I have previously stated that the line of head 
divides the hand into two hemispheres—that of mind and that of matter; and 
that if it be high on the hand, then the world of matter has greater scope, and 
the subject is more brutal and animal in his desires. This has been amply 
proved by the hands of those who have lived a life of crime, particularly if 
they have been murderous in their propensities (Plate XXIY.). 

In such cases the line of head leaves its proper place on the hand and 
rises and takes possession of the line of heart, and sometimes even passes 
beyond it. Whether such people murder one or twenty is not the question. 
The point is that they have abnormal tendencies for crime; they stop at 
nothing in the accomplishment of their purpose, and under the slightest 
provocation or temptation they must and will gratify these strange and terri¬ 
ble propensities. The extraordinary thing in connection with this point is 
that the same line also predicts years in advance when these propensities 
will cause the destruction of the subject. If the head and heart meet 
under Saturn, it will occur before he is twenty-five; between Saturn and 
the Sun, before thirty-five; under the Mount of the Sun, before forty- 
five; and so on. This is one of the most interesting points in the study 
of the hand, and goes far to prove that, once the line of head goes over or 


Insanity as Shown by the Line of Head. 


97 


under what should be its normal position, it betrays these various inherent 
tendencies in the character and the nature of the subject. In this way it 
will be seen that this study could be used to the greatest advantage in the 
training of children and young persons, as the line of head from the earliest 
indicates the mental bent of the subject whether for good or evil. There can 
be no doubt but that nature points in some way, even years in advance, to 
the harvest of those seeds that we are continually sowing; let us then look 
facts in the face whether they speak against ourselves or our children. 
Humanity has little pity for the reaper when binding the sheaves of regret: 
lie cries, I did not know the seeds that I had sown. 

[Note. — I do not use or pay attention to such signs as the red cross on Mars or the black spot 
on Saturn as indications of murder. I consider that they belong to the more superstitious 
side of this work, and are relics of that black age which once claimed palmistry as its own.] 


CHAPTER X. 


THE LINE OF HEAKT. 

. . . Keep still, my heart, 

Nor ask for peace, when care may suit thee best, 

Nor ask for love, nor joy, nor even rest, 

But be content to love, whate’er betide, 

And maybe love will bring thee to Love’s side. 

Cheiro. 

The line of heart is naturally an important line in the study of the hand. 
Love, or the attraction of the sexes from natural causes, plays one of the 
most prominent parts in the drama of life, and as in the nature so in the 
hand. The line of heart, otherwise called the rnensal (Plate XIII.), is that 
line which runs across the upper portion of the hand at the base of the 
Mounts^of Jupiter, Saturn, the Sun, and Mercury. 

The line of heart should be deep, clear, and well colored. It may rise 
from three important positions, as follows: the middle of the Mount of 
Jupiter, between the first and second fingers, and from the center of the 
Mount of Saturn. 

When it rises from the center of Jupiter (d-d, Plate XX.), it gives the 
highest type of love—the pride and the worship of the heart’s ideal. A man 
with such a formation is firm, strong, and reliable in his affections; he is as 
well ambitious that the woman of his choice shall be great, noble, and famous 
—such a man would never marry beneath his station, and will have far less 
love-affairs than the man with the line from Saturn. 

Next we will consider the line rising from the Mount of Jupiter, even 
from the finger itself (e-e, Plate XX.). This denotes the excess of all the fore¬ 
going qualities; it gives the blind enthusiast, the man so carried away by his 
pride that he can see no faults, no failings in that being whom he so devotedly 
worships. Alas! such people are the sufferers in the world of affection : 

98 





Plate XVIII. 

















The Line of Heart. 


99 


when their idols fall, as idols will sometimes, the shock to their pride is so 
great that they rarely if ever recover from its effects; but the shock, it must 
be remarked, is more to their own pride than to the mere fact that the idol 
they worshiped had feet of clay. Poor worshiper! when wilt thou see that, 
though women be pure, they be not perfect; they are but human, and being 
human they are more fitting than if they were divine. Why, then, place them 
so high that they are the more likely to fall f Their place is by thy side, the 
companion of thy humanity, the sister part of all thy faults. 

The line rising between the first and second fingers gives a calm but 
deeper nature in matters of love (f-f Plate XX.). Such individuals seem to 
rest between the ideality given by Jupiter and the passionate ardor given by 
Saturn. They are quieter and more subdued in their passions. 

With the line of heart rising from Saturn, the subject will have more 
passion in his attachments, and will be more or less selfish in satisfying his 
affections; in home life he is never so expressive or demonstrative as are 
those with the line from Jupiter. The excess of this is the same kind of line 
rising very high on the mount, often from the very finger of Saturn. Such a 
subject is far more passionate and sensual than any of the others. It is 
generally admitted that very sensual people are very selfish—in this case they 
are extremely so. 

When the line of heart is itself in excess, namely, lying right across the 
hand from side to side, an excess of affection is the result, and a terrible 
tendency toward jealousy; this is still more accentuated by a very long line 
of heart rising to the outside of the hand and reaching the base of the first 
finger. 

When the line of heart is much fretted by a crowd of little lines rising 
into it, it tells of inconstancy, flirtations, a series of amourettes , but no lasting 
affection (Plate XX.). 

A line of heart from Saturn, chained and broad, gives an utter contempt 
for the subject’s opposite sex. 

When the line of heart is bright red, it denotes great violence of passion. 

When pale and broad, the subject is blase and indifferent. 

When low down on the hand and thus close to the line of head, the heart 
will always interfere with the affairs of the head. 


100 


Clieiro's Language of the Hand. 


When, however, it lies high on the hand, and the space is narrowed by 
the line of head being too close, the reverse is the case, and the head will so 
completely rule the affections that it gives a hard, cold nature, envious and 
uncharitable. 

Breaks in the line tell of disappointment in affection—under Saturn, 
brought about by fatality; under the Sun, through pride; and under Mercury, 
through folly and caprice. 

When the line of heart commences with a small fork on the Mount of 
Jupiter ( j-j , Plate XVI.), it is an unfailing sign of a true, honest nature and 
enthusiasm in love. 

A very remarkable point is to notice whether the line of heart commence 
high or low on the hand. The first is the best, because it shows the happiest 
nature. 

The line lying so low that it droops down toward the line of head is a 
sure sign of unhappiness in affections during the early portion of the life. 

When the line of heart forks, with one branch resting on Jupiter, the 
other between the first and second fingers, it is a sign of a happy, tranquil 
nature, good fortune, and happiness in affection; but when the fork is so 
wide that one branch rests on Jupiter, the other on Saturn, it then denotes a 
very uncertain disposition, and one that is not inclined to make the marital 
relations happy, through its erratic temperament in affection. 

When the line is quite bare of branches and thin, it tells of coldness of 
heart and want of affection. 

When bare and thin toward the percussion or side of the hand, it denotes 
sterility. 

Fine lines rising up to the line of heart from the line of head denote 
those who influence our thoughts in affairs of the heart, and by being crossed 
or uncrossed denote if the affection has brought trouble or has been smooth 
and fortunate. 

When the lines of heart, head and life are very much joined together, it 
is an evil sign; in all matters of affection such a subject would stick at 
nothing to obtain his or her desires. 

A subject with no line of heart, or with very little, has not the power of 
feeling very deep affection. Such a person can, however, be very sensual, par- 


The Line of Heart. 


101 


tieularly if the hand is soft. On a hard hand such a mark will affect the 
subject less—he may not be sensual, but he will never feel very deep 
affection. 

When, however, the line has been there, but has faded out, it is a sign 
that the subject has had such terrible disappointments in affection that he 
has become cold, heartless, and indifferent. 


CHAPTER XI. 


THE LINE OF FATE. 


. . . And what is fate ? 

A perfect law that shapes all things for good; 

And thus, that men may have a just reward 
For doing what is right, not caring should 
No earthly crown he theirs, hut in accord 
With what is true, and high, and great. 

And in the end—the part as to the whole— 

So shall all he ; in the success of all 
So shall all share; for the All-conscious Soul 
Notes e’en the sparrow’s feehle fall. 

. . . And such is fate. 

Cheiro. 

The line of fate (Plate XIII.), otherwise called the line of destiny, or the 
Saturnian, is the center upright line on the palm of the hand. 

In the consideration of this line the type of hand plays an important part; 
for instance, the line of fate, even in the most successful hands, is less marked 
on the elementary, the square, and the spatulate, than on the philosophic, the 
conic, or the psychic. These upright lines are more in keeping with the latter 
hands, and are therefore less important on them; consequently if one sees, 
as one often will, an apparently very strong line of fate on a conic hand, 
one must remember that it has not half the importance of a similiar line on 
a square type as far as worldly success is concerned. This point, I am sorry 
to say, has been completely overlooked by other writers, though it is one of 
the most significant in this study. It is useless to simply give a map of the 
hand without clearly explaining this point. The bewildered student sees 
this long line of fate marked as a sign of great fortune and success, and 
naturally concludes that a small line on the square hand means nothing, and 
that a long one on the conic or psychic means success, fame, and fortune, 

whereas it has not one quarter the importance of the small line shown on the 

102 


The Line of Fate . 


103 


square. I wish to emphasize this as so many students throw up palmistry 
in despair through not having this point explained at the start. 

The strange and mysterious thing to note is that the possessors of the 
philosophic, conic, and psychic hands which bear these heavily marked lines 
are more or less believers in fate, whereas the possessors of the square and 
spatulate rarely if ever believe in fate at all. 

Before the student goes farther I would recommend him, once and for 
all, to settle this doctrine of fate, either for or against. 

The line of fate, properly speaking, relates to all worldly affairs, to our 
success or failure, to the people who influence our career, whether such influ¬ 
ences be beneficial or otherwise, to the barriers and obstacles in our way, and 
to the ultimate result of our career. 

The line of fate may rise from the line of life, the wrist, the Mount of 
Luna, the line of head, or even the line of heart. 

If the fate-line rise from the line of life and from that point on is strong, 
success and riches will be won by personal merit; but if the line be marked 
low down near the wrist and tied down, as it were, by the side of the life-line, 
it tells that the early portion of the subject’s life will be sacrificed to the 
wishes of parents or relatives ( g-g , Plate XX.). 

When the line of fate rises from the wrist and proceeds straight up the 
hand to its destination on the Mount of Saturn, it is a sign of extreme good 
fortune and success. 

Rising from the Mount of Luna, fate and success will be more or less 
dependent on the fancy and caprice of other people. This is very often found 
in the case of public favorites. 

If the line of fate be straight and a branch run in and join it from the 
Mount of Luna, it is somewhat similar in its meaning—it signifies that 
the strong influence of some other person out of fancy or caprice will assist 
the subject in his or her career. On a woman’s hand, if this ray-line from 
Luna travel on afterward by the side of the line of fate, it denotes a wealthy 
marriage or influence which accompanies and assists her ( h—h , Plate XX.). 

If the line of fate in its course to the Mount of Saturn send offshoots 
to any other mount, it denotes that the qualities of that particular mount will 
dominate the life. 


104 


Cheiro’s Language of the Hand. 


If the line of fate itself should go to any mount or portion of the hand 
other than the Mount of Saturn, it foretells great success in that particular 
direction, according to the characteristics of the mount. 

If the line of fate ascend to the center of the Mount of Jupiter, unusual 
distinction and power will come into the subject’s life. It also relates to 
character. Such people are born to climb up higher than their fellows 
through their enormous energy, ambition, and determination. 

If the line of fate should at any point throw a branch in that direction, 
namely, toward Jupiter, it shows more than usual success at that particular 
stage of life. 

If the line of fate terminate by crossing its own mount and reaching 
Jupiter, success will be so great in the end that it will go far toward satisfy¬ 
ing even the ambition of such a subject. 

When the line runs beyond the palm, cutting into the finger of Saturn, it 
is not a good sign, as everything will go too far. For instance, if such an in¬ 
dividual be a leader, his subjects will some day go beyond his wishes and 
power, and will most probably turn and attack their commander. 

When the line of fate is abruptly stopped by the line of heart, success 
will be ruined through the affections; when, however, it joins the line of 
heart and they together ascend Jupiter, the subject will have his or her high¬ 
est ambition gratified through the affections {h-h, Plate XIX.). 

When stopped by the line of head, it foretells that success will be 
thwarted by some stupidity or blunder of the head. 

If the line of fate does not rise until late in the Plain of Mars, it denotes 
a very difficult, hard, and troubled life; but if it goes on well up the hand, all 
difficulties will be surmounted, and once over the first half of the life all the 
rest will be smooth. Such success comes from the subject’s own energy, per¬ 
severance, and determination. 

If the line of fate rise from the line of head, and that line be well marked, 
then success will be won late in life, after a hard struggle and through the 
subject’s talents. 

When it rises from the line of heart extremely late in life, after a difficult 
struggle success will be won. 

When the line rises with one branch from the base of Luna, the other 


The Line of Fate. 


105 


from Venus, the subject’s destiny will sway between imagination on the one 
hand and love and passion on the other (m-m, Plate XXI.). 

V hen broken and irregular, the career will be uncertain; the ups and 
downs of success and failm*e full of light and shadow. 

When there is a break in the line, it is a sure sign of misfortune and loss; 
but if the second portion of the line begin before the other leaves off, it de¬ 
notes a complete change in life, and if very decided it will mean a change 
more in accordance with the subject’s own wishes in the way of position and 
success ( a-a , Plate XXI.). 

A double or sister fate-line is an excellent sign. It denotes two distinct 
careers which the subject will follow. This is much more important if they go 
to different mounts. 

A square on the line of fate protects the subject from loss through 
money, business, or financial matters. A square touching the line in the 
Plain of Mars ( h , Plate XXI.) foretells danger from accident in relation to 
home life if on the side of the fate-line next the line of life; from accident 
in travel if on the side of the fate-line next the Mount of Luna. 

A cross is a sign of trouble and follows the same rules as the square, but 
an island in the line of fate is a mark of misfortune, loss, and adversity 
(d, Plate XXI.). It is sometimes marked with the line of influence from Luna, 
and in such a case means loss and misfortune caused by the influence, be it 
marriage or otherwise, which affects the life at that date (c, Plate XXI.). 

People without any sign of a line of fate are often very successful, but 
they lead more a vegetable kind of existence. They eat, drink, and sleep, but 
I do not think we can really call them happy, for they cannot feel acutely, 
and to feel happiness we must also feel the reverse. Sunshine and shadow, 
smiles and tears comprise the sum total of our lives. 


CHAPTER XII. 


THE LINE OF SUN. 

And there are some who have success in wealth, 

And some in war, and some again in peace, 

And some who, gaining their success in health, 

See other things decrease. 

Man can’t have all—the sun consumes itself 
By burning in its lap more feeble stars, 

And those who crave the Hindu idol’s part 
Oft crush their children ’neath their gilded cars. 

Cheiro. 

The line of snn (Plate XIII.), otherwise called the line of Apollo, the line 
of brilliancy, or the line of success, must, like the line of fate, be considered 
with the type of hand on which it lies; for instance, it will be more heavily 
marked on the philosophic, conic, and psychic, and not mean as much as a 
similar line on the square or spatulate. The same rule given in reference to 
the line of fate therefore applies to this. 

I prefer in my work to call this the line of sun, as this name is more 
expressive and more clear in meaning. It increases the success given by a 
good line of fate, and gives fame and distinction to the life when it is in 
accordance with the work and career given by the other lines of the hand; 
otherwise it merely relates to a temperament that is keenly alive to the 
artistic, but unless the rest of the hand bears this out, the subject will have 
the appreciation of art without the power of expression. 

The line of sun may rise from the line of life, the Mount of Luna, the 
Plain of Mars, the line of head, or the line of heart. 

Rising from the line of life, with the rest of the hand artistic, it denotes 
that the life will be devoted to the worship of the beautiful. With the other 
lines good, it promises success in artistic pursuits. 

106 



MODIFICATIONS OF THE PRINCIPAL LINES. 


Plate XIX. 








































■\ 











The Line of Sun. 


107 


Rising from the line of fate, it increases the success promised by the line 
of fate, and gives more distinction from whatever date it is marked—from 
that time on things will greatly improve. 

It is far more accurate and less misleading to class this line as relating 
to brilliancy or success—as its name implies—than to call it the line of 
Apollo or of art. It depends upon the talent shown by the line of head, and 
the class of hand itself, to determine in what way the success is shown, 
whether in art or in riches. 

From the Mount of Luna it promises success and distinction, largely 
dependent upon the fancies and the help of others. In this case it is never a 
certain sign of success, being so influenced by the fortunes of those we come 
in contact with {e-e, Plate XXL). 

With a sloping line of head, however, it is more inclined to denote suc¬ 
cess in poetry, literature, and things of the purely imaginative order. 

Rising upon the Plain of Mars, it promises sunshine after tears, success 
after difficulty. 

Rising from the line of head, there is no caprice of other people in con¬ 
nection with success, the talents of the subject alone being its factor, but not 
until the second half of life is reached. 

Rising from the line of heart it merely denotes a great taste for art 
and artistic things, and looking at it from the purely practical standpoint 
it denotes more distinction and influence in the world at that late date 
in life. 

If the third finger be nearly equal in length to the second, the finger of 
Saturn, a very long line of sun with such a formation makes the subject 
inclined to gamble with everything—the talents, the riches, and even the 
chances of life. 

The chief peculiarity of this line is that it generally gives, when well 
marked, a great tendency toward sensitiveness, but when combined with an 
exceptionally straight line of head it denotes the love of attaining riches, 
social position, and power. 

Many lines on the Mount of Sun show an extremely artistic nature, but 
multiplicity of ideas will interfere with all success. Such subjects never 
have sufficient patience to win either fame or renown (Plate XXI.). 


108 


Cheiro’s Language of the Hand . 


A star on this line is perhaps the very finest sign that can be found. 
Brilliant and lasting success is in such cases a certainty. 

A square on the line of sun is a sign of preservation against the attacks 
of enemies in reference to one’s name and position (</, Plate XXI.). 

An island on this line means loss of position and name for the length 
of time that the island lasts, and generally such will occur through scandal 
(h, Plate XXI.). 

On a hollow hand the line of sun loses all power. 

The complete absence of the line of sun on an otherwise talented and 
artistic hand indicates that such people, though they may work hard, will 
find the recognition of the world difficult to gain. Such individuals, 
no matter how they may deserve honor and fame, will rarely achieve it. 
Perhaps on their graves will be laid the wreaths that should have crowned 
their heads. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


THE LINE OF HEALTH, OK THE HEPATICA. 

Some flowers are bruised that they may be more sweet, 

And some lie brokeu ’neath the rush of feet; 

And some are worn awhile, then tossed aside ; 

Some grace the dead, while others deck the bride. 

And so in life I’ve seen the saddest face, 

The broken flower, give forth the sweetest grace. 

Cheiro. 

There has been considerable discussion among writers as to the point 
where this line rises. My theory, and one which I have proved by watch¬ 
ing the growth of this line on the hands of children and young people, is 
that it rises at the base, or on the face of the Mount of Mercury, and as it 
grows down the hand and into the line of life, so does it foreshadow the 
growth of the illness or germ of disease which at the time of its coming in 
contact with the line of life will reach its climax. I wish to call special at¬ 
tention to this point; also to another, namely, that the line of life merely re¬ 
lates to the length of life from natural causes, but if the hepatica is as strongly 
marked as the line of life itself, their meeting at any point will be the point 
of death. Also, no matter how long the life-line may seem to be, any ab¬ 
normal development of the line of health will cause the death of the subject. 

The hepatica (Plate XIII.) should lie straight down the hand—the 
straighter the better. 

It is an excellent sign to be without this line. Such absence denotes an 
extremely robust, healthy constitution. Its presence on the hand in any 
form indicates some delicate point to be guarded against. 

When crossing the hand and touching the line of life at any point, it tells 
that there is some delicacy at work, undermining the health and constitution. 
Plate XVII.) 


109 


110 


Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 


When rising from the line of heart at the Mount of Mercury and run¬ 
ning into or through the line of life, it foretells some weakness and disease of 
the heart. If very pale in color, and broad, it will be weak action of the 
heart and bad circulation. 

If red in color, particularly when it leaves the line of heart, with small, 
flat nails, the trouble will be active heart-disease. 

When very red in small spots, it denotes a tendency in the system 
toward fever. 

When twisted and irregular, biliousness and liver complaints. 

When formed in little straight pieces, bad digestion (i-i, Plate XIX.). 

In little islands, with long, filbert nails, danger to lungs and chest ( i-i, 
Plate XX.). 

The same mark, with the same kind of nail, but broad, throat trouble. 
(See “ Nails,” Part I., Chapter XIII.) 

When heavily marked, joining the lines of heart and head, and not found 
elsewhere, it threatens brain-fever. 

A straight line of hepatica lying down the hand may not give robust 
health, but it is a good mark because it gives a more wiry kind of health than 
one crossing the hand. 

It will thus be seen that though the student can depend very largely 
upon the indications afforded him by the hepatica, yet he must look for other 
illnesses, and for confirmation of illnesses, to other portions of the hand, as, 
for instance, to the chained life-line for naturally delicate health, to the line 
of head for brain troubles, and to the nails, which must always be noted in 
conjunction with the study of the hepatica. 


CHAPTER XIY. 


THE VIA LASCIVA AND THE LINE OF INTUITION. 

The Via Lasciva , otherwise called the sister health-line (Plate XIII.), is 
not often found, and is generally confounded with the hepatica. It should 
by right run off the palm into the wrist. In such a position it gives action 
and force to the passions, but if running across the hand into the Mount of 
Venus it shortens the natural length of life by its excesses (W, Plate XVII.). 

THE LINE OF INTUITION. 

The line of intuition (Plate XII.) is more often found on the philosophic, 
the conic, and the psychic, than on any other of the seven types. Its position 
on the hand is almost that of a semicircle from the face of the Mount of 
Mercury to that of the Mount of Luna. It sometimes runs through or with 
the hepatica, but can be found clear and distinct even when the hepatica is 
marked. It denotes a purely impressionable nature, a person keenly sensitive 
to all surroundings and influences, an intuitional feeling of presentiment for 
others, strange vivid dreams and warnings which science has never been able 
to account for by that much-used word, “coincidence.” It is found more on 
psychic hands than on any others. 


ill 


CHAPTER XV. 


THE GIRDLE OF VENUS, THE RING OF SATURN, AND THE THREE BRACELETS. 

The Girdle of Venus (Plate XIII.) is that broken or unbroken kind of 
semicircle rising between the first and second fingers and finishing between 
the third and fourth. 

I must here state that I have never found this sign to indicate the sen¬ 
suality so generally ascribed to it except when found on a broad, thick hand. 
Its real domain is usually on such hands as the conic and psychic. A little 
study will prove that this mark is as a rule associated with highly sensitive, 
intellectual natures, but natures changeable in moods, easily offended, and 
touchy over little things. It denotes a highly strung, nervous temperament, 
and when unbroken it certainly gives a most unhappy tendency toward 
hysteria and despondency. 

People possessing this mark are callable of rising to the highest pitch of 
enthusiasm over anything that engages their fancy, but they are rarely twice 
in the same mood—one moment in the height of spirits, the next miserable and 
despondent. 

When the girdle goes over the side of the hand and by so doing comes in 
contact with the line of marriage (k-k, Plate XVI.), the happiness of the 
marriage will be marred through the peculiarities of the temperament. Such 
subjects are peculiarly exacting, and hard to live with. If on a man’s hand, 
that man would want as many virtues in a wife as there are stars in the 
universe. 

THE RING OF SATURN. 

The Ring of Saturn (Plate XII.) is a mark very seldom found, and is not a 
good sign to have on the hand. I have closely watched people possessing it, 
and I have never yet observed that they were in any way successful. It seems 
to cut off the Mount of Fate in such a peculiar way that such people never 

112 





Plate XX. 


























































The Girdle of Venus , the Ting of Saturn , and the Three Bracelets. 113 

gain any point that they may work for or desire. Their temperament has a 
great deal—it may have everything—to do with this, as I always find these 
people full of big ideas and plans, but with such want of continuity of pur¬ 
pose that they always give up half-way. (See also Plate XXV.) 

THE THREE BRACELETS. 

The bracelets (Plate XIII.) I do not consider of much importance in 
reading the lines, or in the study of the hand itself. There is, however, one 
strange and peculiar point with regard to them, and one that I have 
noticed contains a great deal of truth. I had been taught in my early life, 
always to observe principally the position of the first bracelet, the one near¬ 
est the hand, arid that when I saw it high on the wrist, almost rising into the 
palm, particularly when it rose in the shape of an arch (m-m, Plate XVI.), 
I was always to warn my consultant of weakness in relation to the in¬ 
ternal organs of the body—as, for instance, in the bearing of children. 
Afterwards in my life, when I took up this study in a more practical way, I 
found there was a great deal of truth in what I at first thought a superstition. 
In later years, by watching case after case, by going through hospitals, and 
from wliat my many consultants have told me in reference to their ailments, 
I have become convinced that this point deserves being recorded, and con¬ 
sequently I now give it for what it may be worth. 

Another significance attached to the bracelets is that, if well and clearly 
defined, they mean strong health and a robust constitution, and this again, 
it is interesting to notice, bears out in a manner the point I have called 
attention to. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


THE LINE OF MARRIAGE. 

What matter if the words be said, 

The license paid—they are not wed j 
Unless love link each heart to heart, 

’Twere better keep those lives apart. 

Cheiro. 

Of the many books that have been written on cheiromancy, I am sorry to 
say that almost all have ignored or have barely noticed this naturally inter¬ 
esting and important point. I will therefore endeavor to give as many 
details as possible in connection with this side of the study. 

What is known as the line or lines of marriage, as the case may be, is 
that mark or marks on the Mount of Mercury as shown by Plate XIII. It 
must be first stated, and stated clearly, that the hand does not recognize the 
mere fact of a ceremony, be it civil or religious—it merely registers the influ¬ 
ence of different people over our lives, what kind of influence they have had, 
the effect produced, and all that is in accordance with such influence. Now, 
marriage being so important an event in one’s life, it follows that, if events 
can be foretold by the hand, marriage should certainly be marked, even years 
in advance, and I have always found that such is the case in respect to all im¬ 
portant influences; and it is also natural that affaires de coear , liaisons , and so 
on, can thus be singled out and divided from what is known as marriage, 
except when the liaison is just as important and the influence on the life just 
as strong. Why there should be a time set apart in one’s life to marry, or 
not to marry, as the case may be, can only be answered by referring to the 
other mysteries that surround us. If any one can explain why a permanent 
magnet brought into an ordinary room has the power to magnetize every 
other bit of iron in the room, what that power is, and what the connection 

114 


The Line of Marriage. 


115 


is, then he may be able to answer the question; but until all the secret 
laws and forces of nature are known, we can take no other standpoint 
than to accept these strange anomalies without having the power to answer 
the cry of the curious, the perpetual, parrot-like “ Why ? ” of the doubting. 
The only theory I advance is that, as the press of the finger on the tele¬ 
graph keyboard in New York at the same moment affects the keyboard in 
London, so by the medium of the ether, which is more subtle than electricity, 
are all persons unconsciously in touch with and in communion with one 
another. 

In studying this point of the subject, I wish to impress upon the student 
that what are known as the lines of marriage must be balanced by marks on 
other portions of the hand, as I have shown by the influences by the side 
of the line of fate (Part II., Chapter XI.), and by the lines of influence by the 
side of the line of life (Part II., Chapter V.). 

We will now proceed with the marks in connection with these lines of 
marriage on the Mount of Mercury. 

The line or lines of marriage may rise on the side of the hand or be only 
marked across the front of the Mount of Mercury. 

Only the long lines relate to marriages ( g , Plate XVIII.); the short ones 
to deep affection or marriage contemplated (h, Plate XVIII.). On the line of 
life or fate, if it be marriage, we will find it corroborated and information 
given as to the change in life, position, and so on. From the position of the 
marriage-line on the Mount of Mercury a very fair idea of the age at the 
time of marriage may also be obtained. 

When the important line is found lying close to the line of heart, the 
union will be early, about fourteen to twenty-one; near the center of the 
mount, about twenty-one to twenty-eight; three quarters up the mount, 
twenty-eight to thirty-five; and so on. But the line of fate or the line of 
life will be more accurate, by giving almost the exact date of the change or 
influence. 

A wealthy union is shown by a strong, well-marked line from the side of 
the line of fate next Luna ( h-h , Plate XX.), running up and joining the line 
of fate, when the marriage-line on Mercury is also well marked. 

When, however, the line of influence rises first straight on the Mount of 


116 


Cheiro’s Language of the Hand. 


Luna and then runs up and into the fate-line, the marriage will be more the 
capricious fancy than real affection. 

When the line of influence is stronger than the subject’s line of fate, then 
the person the subject marries will have greater power and more individuality 
than the subject. 

The happiest mark of marriage on the line of fate is when the influence¬ 
line lies close to the fate-line and runs evenly with it (/-/, Plate XX.). 

The line of marriage on the Mount of Mercury should be straight, with¬ 
out breaks, crosses, or irregularities of any kind. 

When it curves or drops downward toward the line of heart, it foretells 
that the person with whom the subject is married will die first (j, Plate XX.). 

When the line curves upward, the possessor is not likely to marry at any 
time. 

When the line of marriage is distinct, but with fine hair-lines dropping 
from it toward the line of heart, it foretells trouble brought on by the illness 
and bad health of the person the subject marries. 

When the line droops with a small cross over the curve, the person the 
subject is married to will die by accident or sudden death ; but when there is 
a long, gradual curve, gradual ill health will cause the end. 

When the line has an island in the center or at any portion, it denotes 
some very great trouble in married life, and a separation while the island 
lasts. 

When the line divides at the end into a drooping fork sloping toward 
the center of the hand, it tells of divorce or a judicial separation (j, Plate 
XIX.). This is all the more certain if a fine line cross from it to the Plain 
of Mars (k-k, Plate XIX.). 

When the line is full of little islands and drooping lines, the subject 
should be warned not to marry. Such a mark is a sign of the greatest un¬ 
happiness. 

When full of little islands and forked, it is again a sign of unhappiness in 
marriage. 

When the line breaks in two, it denotes a sudden break in the married 

life. 

When the line of marriage sends an offshoot on to the Mount of Sun 


117 


The Line of Marriage. 

and into the line of sun, it tells that its possessor will marry some one of dis¬ 
tinction, and generally a person in some way famous. 

When, on the contrary, it goes down toward and cuts the line of sun. 
the person on whose hand it appears will lose position through marriage (i-i f 
Plate XXL). 

W hen a deep line from the top of the mount grows downward and cuts 
the line of marriage, there will he a great obstacle and opposition to such 
marriage (?, Plate XVIII.). 

When there is a fine line running parallel with and almost touching the 
marriage-line, it tells of some deep affection after marriage on the side of the 
person on whose hand it appears. 

It is not within my province in this work on palmistry to go deeply into 
my opinions as to the laws relating to marriage, or to marriages as entered 
into by men and women of the present day. It is almost incredible what men 
and women have told me during the pursuit of this study. They generally 
say, “ You have read so much, you may as well now know all,” and so they 
unravel the greatest secrets of their hearts. The palmist’s lips are sealed, as 
are those of the father confessor, but if he did speak he would tell that half 
the smiling faces are but masks of gaiety to hide hearts of woe, that half the 
so-called truths are falsehoods cloaked, that half the vows are mockeries, and 
that the greatest mockery of all is, alas! too often, that so-called ceremony of 
marriage. The Protestant Church allows its children to be divorced if the 
marriage has turned out unsuitable, and yet the last words dinned into the 
ears of the bride and bridegroom are, “Those whom (rod hath joined together, 
let no man put asunder.” The Catholic Church, equally inconsistent, will not 
even allow the wretched pair to divorce and marry again unless on certain 
special occasions through the “ mediation of the pope,” and on the other hand 
the divorce courts pour back into the coffers of the state that which is in reality 
the blood-monev of its citizens. How long, how long will this lip-service de¬ 
throne and crush the service of the heart? How long will this slavery of custom 
degrade and destroy the better nature, making men brutes and women beasts 
of burden ? How long must men and women exist and live together because 
they have not the money to buy their freedom, or because of their dread of that 
torture-chamber of divorce ? Men who were noble once, women who were 


118 


Cheiro’s Language of the Hand. 


queens of truth and souls of honor—how often do we see them, the husband 
hating the wife, the wife fearing the husband, and outside of all and seeing 
all, like the spectators in the arena, are the pale faces of the children, the 
reincarnated ghosts of buried faith, edging closer and closer to the scene, fear¬ 
ing too much, loving too little, wrapping around them, closer than their very 
garments, the cloak of parents’ shame, going out into the world to deceive as 
mother did, to drink as father did—going out into the world to do likewise. 

Let men and women, once and for all, read nature more and fiction less ; let 
them study one another as they do the art of flattery or of costume. Let them 
marry, but if they make mistakes, give them a chance of redeeming those 
mistakes; give them children, but teach them to be responsible to those chil¬ 
dren ; preach not goodness for the sake of gain, but goodness for the sake 
of good; honor for honor’s sake, truth for truth’s. And lastly, give them 
pride, not in self—for they are servants—but in that part of life in which 
they serve, that as they be sons of humanity and daughters of the world, 
so may they live as helpers of the world. And so may they be till the end 
draws nigh, till the task is done, till the universe is finished, till the destiny 
is spun. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


CHILDREN, 


. . So oft to bear, 

Thro’ early hours, thro’ later years, 

The story of a mother’s tears 
Or of a father’s drunken care. 

Ah me ! how hard 
To bear that load, that heavy cross, 

To stagger on, and, stumbling, find 
All life but death, all death but loss, 

With eyes alone to virtue blind ! 

Cheiro. 

To tell accurately the number of children one has had, or is likely to 
have, seems a very wonderful thing to do, but it is not one bit more wonder¬ 
ful than the details given by the main lines. To do this, however, requires 
more careful study than is usually given to the pursuit of cheiromancy. 

Owing to the accuracy with which I have been credited on this point, I 
have been largely requested, in writing this book, to give as many details as 
permissible. I shall endeavor to do so in as clear a way as possible, knowing 
well the difficulties that lie in the way of a lucid explanation of such a point. 

In the first place, a thorough knowledge of all portions of the hand that 
can touch on this must be acquired. For instance, a person with a very poor 
development of the Mount of Venus is not so likely at any time to have chil¬ 
dren as the person with the mount full and large. 

The lines relating to children are the fine upright lines from the end 
of the line of marriage. Sometimes these are so fine that it requires a micro¬ 
scope to make them out clearly, but in such a case it will be found that all 
the lines of the hand are also faint. By the position of these lines, by the 
portion of the mount they touch, by their appearance, and so on, one can 
accr ately make out whether such children will play an important part in the 

119 


120 Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 

life of the subject or otherwise; if they will be delicate or strong; if they will 
be male or female. 

The leading points with regard to these lines are as follows: 

Broad lines denote males; fine, narrow lines, females. 

When they are clearly marked they denote strong, healthy children; when 
very faint, if they are wavy lines, they are the reverse. 

When the first part of the line is a little island, the child will be very 
delicate in its early life, but if the line is well marked farther it will even¬ 
tually have good health. 

When ending at the island, death will be the result. 

When one line is longer and superior to the rest, one child will be more 
important to the parent than all the others. 

The numbers run from the outside of the marriage-line in toward the 
hand. 

On a man’s hand they are often just as clear as ou a woman’s, but in 
such a case the man will be exceptionally fond of children and will have an 
extremely affectionate nature; as a rule, however, the woman’s hand shows the 
marks in a superior way. From these observations I think the student will 
be able to proceed in his or her pursuit of other minute details which I can¬ 
not go into here. 




MODIFICATIONS OF THE PRINCIPAL LINES. 


Plate XXL 





















CHAPTER XVIII. 


THE STAR. 

The star is a sign of very great importance, wherever it makes its appear¬ 
ance on the hand. I do not at all hold that it is generally a danger, and one 
from which there is no escape; rather, on the contrary, I consider it, with one 
or two exceptions, a fortunate sign, and one which naturally should depend 
upon the portion of the hand, or the line, with which it is connected. 

When a star appears on the Mount of Jupiter, it has two distinct mean¬ 
ings, according to its position. 

When on the highest point of the mount, on the face of the hand, it 
promises great honor, power, and position; ambition gratified, and the ulti¬ 
mate success and triumph of the individual (m, Plate XIX). 

With a strong fate, head, and sun line, there is almost no step in the 
ladder of human greatness that the subject will not reach. It is usually found 
on the hand of a very ambitious man or woman, and in the pursuit of power and 
position there is probably no mark to equal it. 

Its second position on the Mount of Jupiter is when it lies almost off the 
mount, very low at its base, cutting the base of the first finger, or resting on 
the side toward the back of the hand. In this case it is also the sign of a 
most ambitious person, but with this difference, that he will be brought in 
contact with extremely distinguished people ; but unless the rest of the hand 
be exceptionally fine, it does not promise distinction or power to the individual 
himself. 

THE STAR ON THE MOUNT OF SATURN. 

i [ 

On the center of the Mount of Saturn it is a sign of some terrible fatality 
(n, Plate XIX.). It again gives distinction, but a distinction to be dreaded. It is 
decidedly wrong to class this sign with the old idea of the mark of murder. 

121 


122 


CheircPs Language of the Hand. 


It really means that the subject will have some terribly fatalistic life, but that 
of a man in every way a child of fate, a plaything of destiny; a man cast for 
some terrible part in the drama of life—he may be a Judas, or he may be a 
Saviour, but all his work and life and career will have some dramatic and 
terrible climax, some unrivaled brilliancy, some position resplendent with the 
majesty of death—a king for the moment, but crowned with doom. 

The second position for the star on Saturn is that almost off the mount, 
either at the side or cutting into the fingers. This, like the star on Jupiter, 
denotes that the subject will be brought into contact with one of those who 
make history, but in this case with one who gains distinction through some 
terrible fate. 

THE STAE ON THE MOUNT OF THE SUN. 

The star on the Mount of the Sun (p, Plate XIX.) gives the brilliancy of 
wealth and position, but, as a rule, without happiness. Such wealth has come 
too late; the price has probably been too dearly paid in the way of health, or 
perhaps in peace of mind. Certain it is, however, that, though it gives great 
riches, it never gives contentment or happiness. When in this case by the 
side of the mount, it denotes, like the others, that the subject will be brought 
in contact with rich and wealthy people, without himself being rich in the 
world’s goods. 

When, however, it is connected or formed by the line of sun, it denotes 
great fame and celebrity, but through talent and work in art. It should not 
be too high on the hand; a little above the middle of the line is its best posi¬ 
tion, as in the case of Madame Sarah Bernhardt, an impression of whose 
hand will be found on Plate XXVII.). 

THE STAR ON THE MOUNT OF MERCURY. 

The star in the center of the Mount of Mercury ( q , Plate XIX.) denotes, 
brilliancy and success in science, business, or the power of eloquence, accord¬ 
ing to the type of hand, and, as in the foregoing examples, by the side of the 
mount it denotes association with people distinguished in those walks of life. 


Th e Star. 


123 


THE STAR ON THE MOUNT OF MARS. 

The star on the Mount of Mars under Mercury (j, Plate XVIII.), denotes 
that through patience, resignation, and fortitude the greatest honors will be 
gained. 

On the opposite side of the hand, the Mount of Mars under Jupiter, great 
distinction and celebrity will arise from a martial life, or a signal battle or 
warfare in which the subject will be engaged. 

THE STAR ON THE MOUNT OF LUNA. 

The star on the Mount of Luna (ft, Plate XVIII.) is, according to my 
system, a sign of great celebrity arising from the qualities of the mount, 
namely, through the imaginative faculties. I do not hold that it relates, 
to drowning, in accordance with other cheiromants. There is another mean¬ 
ing, however, to this sign, which may have given rise to this idea, and that 
is that when the line of head ends in a star on this mount the dreamy imag¬ 
inative faculties will ruin the balance of the line of head, and the result 
will be insanity. Because this star has been found so often on the hands of 
suicides, it may have given rise to the former belief, but people lose sight of 
the fact that water for suicides is going out of fashion. In these days the 
revolver or the overdose of morphine is much more in vogue. 

THE STAR ON THE MOUNT OF VENUS. 

In the center or highest point of the Mount of Venus (?, Plate XVIII.) 
the star is once more successful and favorable, but this time in relation to the 
affections and j)assions. On a man’s hand such a sign indicates extraordinary 
success in all affairs of love—the same on a woman’s hand. No jealousies or 
opposition will rob them of the spoils of conquest. 

When lying by the side of the mount, che amours of such a subject will 
be with people distinguished for their success in the arena of love. 


124 


Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 


THE STAE ON THE FINGEKS. 

The star on the tips or outer phalanges of the fingers gives great good 
fortune in anything touched or attempted, and on the first phalange of the 
thumb success through the subject’s strength of will. 

The star is one of the most important of the lesser signs to seek for. 

In the foregoing remarks it should be borne in mind that the indications 
denoted by this important lesser sign must naturally be in keeping with the 
tendencies shown by the general character of the hand. It stands to reason, 
for instance, that the star could have little power or meaning on a hand con¬ 
taining a weak, undeveloped line of head. In dealing with this, as indeed 
with every other portion of the study, it must be understood that however 
clear the directions may be, it is impossible to dispense with the exercise of a 
certain amount of mentality and discretion on the part of the student. 


CHAPTER XIX. 


THE CKOSS. 

The cross is the opposite to the star, and is seldom found as a favorable 
sign. It indicates trouble, disappointment, danger, and sometimes a chauge 
in the position or life, but one brought about by trouble. There is, however, 
one position in which it is a good sign to have it, namely, on the Mount of 
Jupiter (m, Plate XVIII.). In this position it indicates that at least one great 
affection will come into the life. This is especially the case when the line of 
fate rises from the Mount of Luna. A strange feature with this cross on 
Jupiter is that it denotes roughly about the time in life when the affection 
will influence the individual. Whemclose to the commencement of the line 
of life and toward the side of the hand, it will be early ; on the summit of the 
mount, in middle life; and down at the base, late in life. 

On the Mount of Saturn (n, Plate XVIII.), when touching the line of fate, 
it denotes danger of violent death by accident; but when by itself in the cen¬ 
ter of this mount, it increases the evil, fatalistic tendencies of the life. 

On the Mount of the Sun it is a terrible sign of disappointment in the 
pursuit of fame, art, or riches. 

The cross on the Mount of Mercury, as a rule, indicates a dishonest 
nature, and one inclined to duplicity. 

On the Mount of Mars under Mercury it denotes the dangerous opposi¬ 
tion of enemies ; and on the Mount of Mars under Jupiter force, violence, and 
even death from quarrels. 

v A cross on the Mount of the Moon under the line of head denotes a fatal 
influence of the imagination. The man with such a sign will deceive even 
himself (/, Plate XVI.). 

On the Mount of Venus, when heavily marked, it indicates some great 

125 


126 


Cheiro’s Language of the Hand. 


trial or fatal influence of affection; but when very small and lying close to the 
line of life, it tells of troubles and quarrels with near relatives. 

A cross by the side of the line of fate, and between it and the life-line 
in the Plain of Mars, denotes opposition in one’s career by relatives, and means 
a change in the destiny; but lying on the other side of the hand next to Luna 
it relates to a disappointment in a journey. 

Above and touching the line of head, it foretells some wound or accident 
to the head. 

By the side of the line of sun, disappointment in position. 

Running into the line of fate, disappointment in money; and over the 
line of heart, the death of some loved one. 


CHAPTER XX. 


THE SQUARE. 

The square (Plate XV.) is one of the most interesting of the lesser signs. 
It is usually called “ the mark of preservation,” because it shows that the sub¬ 
ject is protected at that particular point from whatever danger menaced. 

When the line of fate runs through a well-formed square, it denotes one 
of the greatest crises in the subject’s life in a worldly sense, connected with 
financial disaster or loss, but if the line goes right on through the square all 
danger will be averted. Even when the line of fate breaks in the center, the 
square is still a sign of protection from very serious loss. 

When outside the line, but only touching it, and directly under the Mount 
of Saturn, it denotes preservation from accident. 

When the line of head runs through a well-formed square, it is a sign of 
strength and preservation to the brain itself, and tells of some terrible strain 
of work or of anxiety at that particular moment. 

When rising above the line of head under Saturn, it foretells a preserva¬ 
tion from some danger to the head. 

When the line of heart runs through a square, it denotes some heavy 
trouble brought on by the affections. When under Saturn, some fatality to 
the object of one’s affection (j, Plate XXI.). 

When the life-line passes through a square, it denotes a protection from 
death, even if the line be broken at that point (A’, Plate XXI.). 

A square on the Mount of Venus inside the line of life denotes preser¬ 
vation from trouble brought on by the passions (/, Plate XXI.). When 
resting in the center of the Mount of Venus, it tells that the subject will 
fall into all kinds of danger through passion, but will always manage to 
escape. 

When, however, lying outside the line of life and touching it from the 

127 


128 C heir o's Language of the Hand. 

Plain of Mars, a square in such a place means imprisonment or seclusion from 
the world. 

When on the mounts the square denotes a protection from any excess 
arising through the qualities of the mount: 

On Jupiter, from the ambition of the subject. 

On Saturn, from the fatality that shadows the life. 

On the Sun, from the desire for fame. 

On Mercury, from the restless, mercurial temperament. 

On Mars, from danger through enemies. 

On Luna, from an excess of imagination, or from the evil effects of some 
other line, as, for instance, a line of travel. 





Plate XXH. 












CHAPTER XXL 


THE ISLAND, THE CIECLE, THE SPOT. 

The island is not a fortunate sign, but it only relates to the line or por¬ 
tion of the hand on which it is found. It is interesting to notice that it 
frequently relates to hereditary evils ; as, for instance, heavily marked on the 
line of heart it denotes heart-disease inherited. 

When as one distinct mark in the center of the line of head, it denotes an 
hereditary weakness in relation to mentality. 

When on the line of life, it denotes illness and delicacy at that particular 
point. 

When on the line of fate, some heavy loss in worldly matters. 

When on the line of sun, it foretells loss of position and name, generally 
through scandal (7q Plate XXI.). 

When on the line of health, it foreshadows a serious illness. 

Any line running into or forming an island is a bad indication in relation 
to the part of the hand on which it is found. 

An attendant line on the Mount of Menus running into an island foretells 
disgrace and trouble from passion to the man or woman who influences the 
life (p, Plate XVIII.). 

A line forming an island and crossing the hand from the Mount of Venus 
to the line of marriage foretells that an evil influence at that particular point 
will cross the life and bring disgrace to the marriage (r, Plate XVIII.). If the 
same kind of line run to the line of heart, some bad influence will bring 
trouble and disgrace to the affections ; when it runs to the line of head, some 
influence will direct the talents and intentions into some disgraceful chan¬ 
nel ; and when it runs into and bars the line of fate, some evil influence 
will be a barrier to the success of the subject at the date at which the lines 
join each other. 


129 


130 Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 

An island on any of the mounts injures the qualities of the mount on 
which it is found. 

On the Mount of Jupiter it weakens the pride and ambition. 

On Saturn it brings misfortune to the subject. 

On the Mount of the Sun it weakens the talent for art. 

On Mercury it makes a person too changeable to succeed, particularly in 
anything in relation to business or science. 

On Mars it shows a weak spirit and cowardice. 

On Luna, weakness in working out the power of the imagination. 

On Venus, a person easily led and influenced by the sport of fancy and 
passion (A*, Plate XX.). 


THE CIRCLE. 

If found on the Mount of the Sun, the circle is a favorable mark. This 
is the only position in which it is fortunate. On any other mount it tells 
against the success of the subject. 

On the Mount of Luna it denotes danger from drowning. 

When touching any important line, it indicates that at that particular 
point the subject will not be able to clear himself from misfortune—in other 
words, he will, as it were, go round and round in a circle without being able 
to break through and get free. 

* THE SPOT. 

A spot is generally the sign of temporary illness. 

A bright-red spot on the line of head indicates a shock or injury from 
some blow or fall. 

A black or blue spot denotes* a nervous illness. 

A bright-red spot on the line of health is usually taken to mean fever, 
and on the line of life some illness of the nature of fever. 


CHAPTER XXII. 


THE GRILLE, THE TRIANGLE, “ LA CROIX MYSTIQUE,” THE RING OF SOLOMON. 

The grille (Plate XV.) is very often seen, and generally upon the mounts 
of the hand. It indicates obstacles against the success of that particular 
mount, and especially means that those obstacles are brought on by the ten¬ 
dencies of the subject in accordance with that portion of the hand in which it 
is found. 

On the Mount of Jupiter it denotes egotism, pride, and the dominative 
spirit. 

On the Mount of Saturn it foretells misfortune, a melancholy nature, and 
a morbid tendency. 

On the Mount of the Sun it tells of vanity, folly, and a desire for 
celebrity. 

On the Mount of Mercury it denotes an unstable and rather unprincipled 
person. 

On the Mount of Luna it foretells restlessness, discontent, and dis¬ 
quietude. 

On the Mount of Venus, caprice in passion. 

THE TRIANGLE. 

The triangle (Plate XV.) is a curious sign, and is often found clear and 
distinct, and not formed by the chance crossing of lines. 

When distinct in shape on the Mount of Jupiter, it promises more than 
usual success in the management of people, in the handling of men, and even 
in the organization of every-day affairs. 

On the Mount of Saturn it gives a talent and inclination for mystical 
work, for the delving into the occult, for the study of human magnetism, and 
so forth. 


131 


132 


Clieiro’s Language of the Hand. 


On the Mount of the Sun it denotes a practical application of art and 
a calm demeanor toward success and fame. Celebrity will never spoil such 
people. 

On the Mount of Mercury it checks its restless qualities, and promises 
success in relation to business or money. 

On the Mount of Mars it gives science in warfare, great calmness in any 
crisis, and presence of mind in danger. 

On the Mount of Luna it tells of a scientific method in following out the 
ideas of the imagination. 

On the Mount of Venus, calmness and calculation in love, the jjower of 
restraint and control over self. 

The tripod or spear-head (Plate XV.) is an excellent sign of success on 
any mount on which it is found. 

“la CROIX MYSTIQUE.” 

This strange mark has usually for its domaiu the center of the quad¬ 
rangle (r, Plate XIX.), but it may be found at either its upper or lower ex¬ 
tremities. It may be formed by the line of fate and a line from the head to 
the heart, or it may lie as a distinct mark without connection with any other 
main line. 

It denotes mysticism, occultism, and superstition. 

These three qualities are widely apart in themselves, although often con¬ 
founded, and the position this mark takes on the hand is therefore very 
important. 

When high up on the hand toward Jupiter, it will give the belief in 
mysticism for one’s own life, but not the desire to follow it farther than 
where it relates to self. Such people want their fortunes told, actuated more 
by curiosity to know how their own ambitions will turn out than by the 
deeper interest that the study involves for its own sake. 

When the “ Croix Mystique ” is more closely connected with the line of 
heart than with that of head, it gives a superstitious nature, and this even 
more so when it is marked over the center of the head-line, when that 
line takes a sharp curve downward. It must be remembered that the length 


The Grille , The Triangle , u La Croix MystiqueThe Ring of Solomon. 133 

of the line of head has much to do with this. The very short line with the 
cross Over it will be a thousand times more superstitious than the long one. 
The long one will be the greatest for occultism, and particularly so if the 
“ Croix Mystique ” is an independent formation on the line of head. 

When it touches the fate-line, or is formed by it, the love of the mystic 
will influence the entire career. 

THE RING OF SOLOMON. 

The Ring of Solomon (Plate XII.) is a sign that also denotes the love of 
the occult, but in this case it shows more the power of the master, the adept, 
than the mere love of the mystic denoted by “ La Croix Mystique.” 


CHAPTEK XXIII. 


HANDS COVERED WITH LINES—THE COLOR OF THE PALM. 

When the entire hand is covered with a multitude of fine lines like a net 
spreading over its surface, it tells that the nature is intensely nervous and 
sensitive, but one that will be continually disturbed and worried by little 
thoughts and troubles that would be of no importance whatever to others. 

This is particularly so if the palm be soft—such people imagine all sorts 
of things in the way of ailments and troubles ; but if the palm of the hand be 
hard and firm, it denotes an energetic, excitable nature, but one that is far 
more successful for other people than for self. 

SMOOTH HANDS. 

Very smooth hands with few lines belong to people calm in temperament 
and even in disposition. They seldom if ever worry ; they rarely lose temper, 
but when they do they know the reason why. This is again modified by the 
palm being hard or soft. When firm, it is a greater sign of control and calm¬ 
ness than when soft. In the latter case it is not so much a matter of control 
as of indifference: the subject will not take sufficient interest to lose temper 
—that would be too much of an exertion. 

THE SKIN. 

When the palm of the hand is covered naturally with a very fine light 
skin, the subject will retain the buoyancy and temperament of youth much 
longer than the person with a coarse skin. This is of course much affected by 
work, but I am speaking of cases where little labor or manual work is done ; 
yet even where there is manual work this can still be observed by the ridges 

134 


Hands Covered with Lines—The Color of the Palm. 


135 


of the skin. It lias been proved that even as regards this point no two hands 
are ever alike; consequently, while work may thicken the cuticle, its individ¬ 
uality remains the same. 


THE COLOR OF THE PALM. 

The color of the palm is far more important than the color of the outside 
of the hands. This at first sight appears strange, but a little observation 
will prove its truth. 

The palm of the hand is under the immediate control and action of the 
nerves and of the nerve-fluid. According to scientists, there are more nerves 
in the hand than in any other portion of the body, and, again, more in the 
palm than in any other portion of the hand. As regards the nerve-fluid, Aber¬ 
crombie, in his work published in London in 1838, states that “the communi¬ 
cation of preception from the senses to the mind has been accounted for by the 
motions of the nervous fluid, a subtle essence resembling electricity or galvan¬ 
ism.” It therefore follows that this subtle essence must affect the palm more 
than any other portion of the body. There is every reason, therefore, why the 
color of the palm should be of more importance than that of the back of the 
hand. 

It will be found that almost every palm has a distinct color and can be 
classed as follows: 

When pale or almost white in color, the subject will take very little 
interest in anything outside of himself—in other words, he will be selfish, 
egotistical, and unsympathetic. 

When the palm is yellowish in color, the subject will be morbid, melan¬ 
choly, and morose. 

When a delicate pink, the nature is sanguine, hopeful, and bright; and 
when very red, robust in health and spirits, ardent, passionate, and quick¬ 
tempered. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


THE GREAT TRIANGLE AND THE QUADRANGLE. 

What is called the great triangle, or the Triangle of Mars, is formed by 
the lines of life, head, and the liepatica (Plate XXII.). 

When, as is very frequently the case, the line of health is altogether 
absent, its place must be filled by an imaginary line to form the base of the 
triangle, or (as is often found) the line of sun forms the base (a-a, Plate XXII.). 
This latter is by far the greatest sign of power and success, although the 
subject will not be so broad-minded and liberal as when the base of the tri¬ 
angle is formed by the line of health. 

The shape and positions of the great triangle must be considered by them¬ 
selves, although it contains the upper, the middle, and the lower angle, which 
three points will be dealt with later. 

When the triangle is well formed by the lines of head, life, and health, it 
should be broad and inclose the entire Plain of Mars. In such case it denotes 
breadth of views, liberality and generosity of spirit; such a person will be in¬ 
clined to sacrifice himself to further the interests of the whole, not the unit. 

If, on the contrary, it is formed by three small, wavy, uncertain lines, it 
denotes timidity of spirit, meanness, and cowardice. Such a man would always 
go with the majority even against his principles. 

When in the second formation of the triangle it has for its base the line of 
sun, the subject will then have narrow ideas but great individuality and 
strong resolution. Such a sign, from the very qualities it exhibits, contains 
within itself the seeds of worldly success. 

the upper angle. 

The upper angle (b, Plate XXII.) is formed by the lines of head and life. 
This angle should be clear, well pointed, and even. Such will indicate refine¬ 
ment of thought and mind, and delicacy toward others. 

136 


The Great Triangle and the Quadrangle. 


137 


When very obtuse, it denotes a dull matter-of-fact intellect with little 
delicacy and feeling and a very small appreciation of art or of artistic things 
or people. 

When extremely wide and obtuse, it gives a blunt, hasty temper, a person 
who will continually offend people. It also denotes impatience and want of 
application in study. 

THE MIDDLE ANGLE. 

The middle angle is formed by the line of head and that of health ( c , Plate 
XXII.). If clear and well defined, it denotes cpiickness of intellect, vivacity, 
and good health. 

When very acute, it denotes a painfully nervous temperament and bad 
health. 

When very obtuse, dullness of intelligence and a matter-of-fact method 
of working. 

THE LOWER ANGLE. 

The lower angle ( d , Plate XXII.), when very acute and made by the hepa- 
tica, denotes feebleness, and littleness of spirit; when obtuse, it denotes a 
strong nature. 

When made by the line of sun and very acute, it gives individuality, but 
a narrow view of things; when obtuse, it gives a broader and more generous 
mind. 

THE QUADRANGLE. 

The quadrangle, as its name implies, is that quadrangular space between 
the lines of head and heart (Plate XXII.). 

It should be even in shape, wide at both ends, but not narrow at the 
center. Its interior should be smooth and not crossed with many lines, 
whether from the head or from the heart. When marked in this way, it in¬ 
dicates evenness of mind, power of intellect, and loyalty in friendship or 
affection. 

This space represents within itself the man’s disposition toward his fel¬ 
lows. When excessively narrow, it shows narrow ideas, smallness of thought, 
and bigotry, but more in regard to religion and morals, whereas the triangle 


138 


Clieird’s Language of the Hand. 


denotes conservatism as regards work and occupation. With religious people 
this is a remarkable sign, the hand of the bigot always having this space ex¬ 
tremely narrow. 

On the other hand, the space must not be too wide. When it is, the 
subject’s views of religion and morals will be too broad for his own good. 

When this space narrows so much in the center that it has the appear¬ 
ance of a waist, it denotes prejudice and injustice. Again, the two ends 
should be fairly equally balanced. When much wider under the Mount of 
the Sun than Saturn, the person is careless about his name, position, or repu¬ 
tation. The opposite of this is shown when the space is narrow. It is in 
such a case a sign of intense anxiety as to the opinion of other people— 
what the world thinks, and what one must do to keep up one’s reputation. 

When excessively wide under Saturn or Jupiter and narrower at the 
other end, it denotes that the subject will change from the generosity of his 
views and broadness of mind to become narrow and prejudiced. 

When the quadrangle is abnormally wide in its entire length, it denotes 
want of order in the brain, carelessness of thought and ideas, an unconven¬ 
tional nature, and one imprudent in every way. 

When the quadrangle is smooth and free from little lines, it denotes a 
calm temperament. 

When very full of little lines and crosses, the nature is restless and 
irritable. 

A star in any portion of the quadrangle is an excellent sign, particularly 
if it be under some favorable mount. 

Under Jupiter it promises pride and power. 

Under Saturn, success in worldly matters. 

Under the Mount of the Sun, success in fame and position through art; 
and between the Sun and Mercury, success in science and research. 


t 


CHAPTER XXY. 


TRAVEL, VOYAGES, AND ACCIDENTS. 

There are two distinct ways of telling travels and voyages. One is from 
the heavy lines on the face of the Mount of Luna; the other, from the little 
hair-lines that leave the line of life hut travel on with it (j, Plate XXII.). This 
indication is similar to that of the line of life dividing in the hand: if one 
branch goes around Venus, the other proceeding to the base of the Mount of 
Luna, it foretells that the subject will make some great change from his 
native land to another. It therefore follows that the journeys told by the 
change in the line of life are far more important than the lines on Luna, 
which relate more to the minor changes or travels of the subject. It is some¬ 
times found that long lines extend from the rascette , or first bracelet (Plate 
XXII.), and rise into the Mount of Luna. These are similar to the travel-lines on 
Luna, but much more important. When the line of fate shows a considerable 
and beneficial change at the same point, then these lines are prosperous and 
fortunate. When, however, the line of fate does not show any advantage 
gained at the same point, the subject will not improve, to any great extent, in 
worldly matters by the change. 

When such a journey-line ends with a small cross, the journey will end 
in disappointment (e-e, Plate XXII.). 

When the travel-line ends in a square, it denotes danger from the 
journey, but the subject will be protected. 

When the line ends with an island, no matter how small, the journey 
will result in loss (f Plate XXII.). 

On the Mount of Luna the ascendant lines from the rascette are the most 
beneficial. 

When the line crosses the hand and enters the Mount of Jupiter, great 


139 


140 Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 

position and power will be gained by it, and the journey will also be ex¬ 
tremely long. 

When the travel-line runs to the Mount of Saturn, some fatality will 
govern the entire journey. 

When it runs to the Mount of the Sun, it is most favorable, and promises 
riches and celebrity. 

When it reaches the Mount of Mercury, sudden and unexpected wealth 
will arise from it. 

When the horizontal lines on Luna cross the face of the mount and reach 
the line of fate, the journeys will be longer and more important than those 
indicated by the short, heavy lines also on that mount, though they may not 
relate to a change of country ( g-g, Plate XXII.). 

When they enter the line of fate and ascend with it, they denote travels 
that will materially benefit the subject. 

When the end of any of these horizontal lines droop or curve downward 
toward the wrist, the journey will be unfortunate (A 4 , Plate XXII.). When 
they rise upward, no matter how short, it will be successful. 

When one of these lines crosses another, such a journey will be repeated, 
but for some important reason. 

Any square on such a line will show danger, but protection from acci¬ 
dent or misfortune. 

If the travel-line runs into the line of head and causes a spot, island, or 
break, it foretells some danger to the head, or some malady arising from such a 
journey (h-h, Plate XXII.). 


ACCIDENTS. 

I have alluded to accidents considerably in my treatment of the line of 
travel and in relation to travel, but disasters are more marked on the line of 
life and line of head than at any other point. 

In the first place, the accident marked to the line of life denotes a more 
immediate danger of death, as follows : 

When, from an island on Saturn, a line falls downward and enters the 
life-line, serious, if not fatal, danger is indicated ( i-i , Plate XXII.). 

When such a line ends by a small cross, either on the line of life or with- 


Travel , Voyages , and Accidents. 141 

out it, it tells that the subject will have some narrow escape from serious 
accident. 

When the same mark occurs lower down, at the base of the Mount of 
Saturn, the accident will result more from animals than from other causes. 

Any straight line from Saturn to the life-line means danger of some kind, 
but not so serious as from a line possessing the island either on Saturn or 
lower down. 

To the line of head exactly the same rules apply, with this difference, 
that the danger will be direct to the head itself, but unless the accident line 
cut or break the head-line the danger does not signify death as much as when 
marked on the line of life : it denotes, as it were, that the person has time to 
foresee the dangers that approach, and such a mark indicates a fright and 
shock to the brain, but no serious results unless the line is injured or broken. 


CHAPTER XXVI. 


TIME—THE SYSTEM OF SEVEN. 

In my own work I use a system as regards time and dates which I have 
never found mentioned elsewhere. It is one which I consider exceptionally 
accurate, and I therefore recommend it to the student for his or her con¬ 
sideration. It is the system of seven, and I advance it as being taught by 
nature in all her mysterious dealings with life. 

In the first place, we find from a medical and scientific standpoint the 
seven a most important point of calculation. We find that the entire system 
undergoes a complete change every seven years; that there are seven stages 
of the prenatal existence; that the brain takes seven forms before it takes 
upon itself “ the unique character of the human brain ”; and so forth. Again, 
we find that in all ages the number seven has played a most important part 
in the history of the world ; as, for instance, the seven races of humanity, the 
seven wonders of the world, the seven altars to the seven gods of the seven 
planets, the seven days of the week, the seven colors, the seven minerals, the 
supposition of the seven senses, the three parts of the body each containing 
seven sections, and the seven divisions of the world. Again, in the Bible 
seven is the most important number; but it is superfluous to give further 
details. The point that bears most largely on this subject is that of the 
entire system undergoing a change every seven years. My own observation 
leads me to also advance (simply for the consideration of the student) the 
theory that the alternate sevens are somewhat alike in their relation to the 
functional changes of the body. For example, a child very delicate on pass¬ 
ing the age of seven is also likely to be delicate on passiug the age of twenty- 
one, whereas a child healthy and strong at the age of seven will again be 
healthy and strong at twenty-one, no matter how delicate he or she may be 
through the intermediate years. This is an interesting point in predictions 

142 



TIME —THE SYSTEM OF SEVEN. 


Plate XXIII 











Time—The System of Seven. 


143 


relating to health, and one which I have found not only interesting hut ex¬ 
tremely reliable. Every line on the hand can be divided into sections giving 
dates with more or less accuracy. The most important lines, however, and 
those usually consulted in reference to dates, are those of life and fate. In 
Plate XXIII. it will be noticed that I have divided the line of fate into three 
great divisions, namely, twenty-one, thirty-five, and forty-nine, and if the 
student will keep this in mind he will more easily fill in the subdivisions on 
the human hand itself. The point, however, which I cannot impress too 
strongly is, that the student must notice the class or type of hand before 
proceeding or attempting to make the smallest calculation. It stands to 
reason that there must be the greatest difference between the dates given by 
the palm of the square or spatulate hand and that of the psychic. If 
the student will bear this in mind, he will reduce or increase his scale in ac¬ 
cordance with the length of the palm. To mentally divide the lines into 
sections as illustrated will be found the simplest and the most accurate plan 
that the student can pursue. 

When, in the calculation of dates, the line of life and the line of fate are 
used together, it will be found that they corroborate one another and give 
accuracy as to the events. It is therefore not difficult, after a little practice, 
to give a date as to when an illness or an event took place, or when such and 
such a thing will happen. Practice gives perfection in all things; let not the 
student be discouraged, therefore, if at first he finds difficulty in dividing the 
lines into divisions and subdivisions. 


PART III.—ILLUSTRATIVE TYPES. 


CHAPTER I. 

A FEW WORDS ON SUICIDE. 

I will now deal with a few illustrative types to help the student in the 
congregation of lines, signs, and formations that go to form each individual 
character. It is seldom, if ever, that one distinct mark or peculiarity has the 
power to ruin or blight any one nature. An evil or dangerous sign as re¬ 
gards character merely shows the particular tendency in this or that direction. 
It takes a variety of wheels to make a watch: so does it take a variety of 
characteristics to make a criminal or a saint. The type bearing the disposi¬ 
tion toward suicide is a very striking example of this. But before I go 
farther I would like to make a few remarks as to the subject of suicide itself. 
In every town in which I may reside, an establishment which has consider¬ 
able interest for me is that strange temple of death, the morgue. Why not ? 
If one in any sense studies life, he should study it to the borders of that 
“ undiscovered country, from whose bourn no traveler returns.” The semi- 
barbarous, semi-human idea that by such an act the suicide has made him or 
her self an outcast, not only to this world, but to the next, cannot be too 
highly condemned. Even in this so-called enlightened age I have seen 
clergymen refuse to attend the grave. In some countries I have seen the 
body of the suicide dug up in the dead of night and buried in the sand of 
the sea-sliore, or, worse still, thrown over the cliffs into the sea. It is not 
the treatment to the corpse that I raise my voice against—the dead feel noth¬ 
ing, the corpse is clay—it is the brutality of the lij-ing that makes me speak. 
People who lightly consider this matter are apt to say that such things do 

144 



A Few Words on Suicide. 


145 


not exist nowadays—but do they not? During my stay in England in 
1893, four cases came to my notice, and even in New York in 1894, in the 
case of a well-known actress, it was almost impossible to get any clergy¬ 
man to say a few words over the grave. 

I must lay considerable stress on this point of suicide, even if I am 
severely criticized for my remarks—for what would be the good of attempting 
to analyze life if one did not state his opinions freely and without reserve! I 
know I shall be criticized for saying that I have not found that it is weak- 
minded people who generally commit suicide, On the contrary, I have 
merely found that they belong to a different class of mentality from those 
who prefer to hang on to the skirts of life through misery and misfortune. 
It is preposterous that we should set up any narrow lines of what is right or 
what is wrong, knowing as we do that we are, and always have been, in 
complete ignorance of the laws governing life, from the birth of the child to 
the development of the individual. What seems right to one may be utterly 
wrong to another, according to the mental vision which decides our conduct. 
There is a well-known disease which affects the senses in such a way that the 
scratching of a pencil in the same room sounds to the sufferer like the rum¬ 
ble of a mail-cart, while the striking of a match seems more dazzling than 
a flash of lightning. In the same way the mind, under pressure of desire, 
of sorrow, or of anxiety, may become more keenly sensitive to “the slings 
and arrows of outrageous fortune.” Why, then, should we judge and mea¬ 
sure and condemn such people, simply because we do not all see with their 
eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their understanding f 

I must also take exception to the every-day phrase of the jury—“Com¬ 
mitted suicide while of unsound mind,” as used in reference to all people, 
whether evidence is given to prove insanity or not. The idea that because an 
individual commits suicide he must necessarily be insane, is on the face of it 
absurd, as it has often been demonstrated that the most marvelous reason 
and logic have been used to balance every side of the question before the in¬ 
dividual has come to the conclusion that in his particular case the search for 
death was the noblest thing in life. I have known suicides to show the great¬ 
est possible courage, the strongest fortitude, and the greatest will in facing 
that mighty angel of mystery whom, all their life long, they have been taught 


146 


Che Ira’s Language of the Hand. 


to avoid and dread. I have known the most noble deeds of silent martyrdom 
performed by those who afterward would scarce receive Christian burial. I 
have known not a few cases of persons suffering from an incurable disease 
ending life a few months sooner—and why ? Not because of the agony they 
suffered, but because they were causing their children to suffer, and burden¬ 
ing them with expenditure which they could not afford; and yet I have been 
told that such a person could have no part or lot in that kingdom of peace, 
be it rest or be it life, which lies beyond the silence of the tomb. Is it man, 
or ghoul, 01 devil, I ask, who has thus the presumption to dictate to man the 
wishes or the judgments of that which is Almighty ? What man among the 
mortals of the earth has the right to elect himself the mouthpiece of the Om¬ 
nipotent and the Unknown ? How many poor suicides has this relic of 
barbarianism condemned to the everlasting torment of the spirit? How 
many mothers has this fetishism broken beneath the wheels of its Jugger¬ 
naut ? How many sisters have cried and sobbed beneath the darkness of the 
night ? How many brothers have raised defiant eyes to heaven that such 
a thing could be ? 

Alas! thou great Spirit of life, of death, of all that is, of all that will 
be, we know not thy name, thy being, thy creation, or the ultimate purpose 
for which thou hast endowed man and shaped man in the carrying out of 
thy design. As we are nothing, forgive us all things; as we ask for nothing, 
give us but what w T e need; and as we be nothing, be thou to us the all- 
sufficient, the life, the death, the eternal of the soul. 


CHAPTER II. 


THE PECULIARITIES OF HANDS WHICH SHOAV A SUICIDAL TENDENCY. 

The hand is generally long, with a sloping line of head, and a developed 
Mount of Luna, particularly toward its base. The line of head is also very 
much connected with the line of life, and so increases the excessivelv sensi- 
tive nature of the subject. In such a case the individual would not naturally 
be morbid or even show the inclination for suicide, but the nature is so 
sensitive and so imaginative that any trouble, grief, or scandal is intensified a 
thousandfold, and to kill or injure self gives the peculiar satisfaction of self¬ 
martyrdom to such a type, as exemplified bv Plate XXV. 

The same indications being found in connection with a well-developed 
Mount of Saturn will give the thoroughly sensitive, morbid nature; an in¬ 
dividual who will determinedly come to the conclusion that life under any 
circumstances is not worth living—so the slightest provocation by trouble or 
disappointment causes him to quietly and resignedly fly to that last resource 
which he has cherished and thought of for so long. 

The excessively drooping line of head (Plate XXV.) on a pointed or 
conic hand denotes the same result, but only through the sudden impulse that 
is characteristic* of the nature. To such a person a shock or trouble is all- 
sufficient to impart the impulse to the excitable disposition, and before there 
is time to think, the deed is done. 

The opposite of this excitability is shown in the case of the subject’s com¬ 
mitting suicide when the line of head is not abnormally sloping. Such a 
person, however, will have the line closely connected with the line of life, a 
depressed Mount of Jupiter, and a very fully developed Saturn. Such a sub¬ 
ject will feel the disappointments of life unusually keenly; he will as well 
have a melancholy and gloomy turn of mind ; he will, however, be logical in 
weighing every side of the question for lite and death, and if he arrives at the 

147 


148 


Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 


conclusion that the game is up and the battle over as far as he is concerned, 
he will, in a most reasonable and sensible manner, according to liis stand¬ 
point, proceed to put an end to all misfortunes. What such a person will 
suffer before he arrives at this conclusion it is scarcely possible to estimate. 
We are all so wrapped up in our own interests and affairs that we hardly see 
or notice the pale, worn face that lias suffered so patiently, the hollow eyes of 
wakeful nights, the wasted cheeks of hunger, that appear for a moment by 
our side, and are gone forever. 


CHAPTER III. 


PROPENSITIES FOR MURDER. 

Murder can be divided into a great many different classes. What the 
hand principally recognizes is that of the abnormal tendency toward crime, 
the class of crime itself being traced by the type of hand in respect to the 
inclinations of the subject. That some people have a natural predilection 
toward murder cannot, I think, lie doubted. There are born criminals as 
well as born saints. It depends upon the development of the will, in keeping 
with the surroundings and circumstances, whether the criminal tendencies 
will be developed or not. The destructive tendency as exhibited by children 
does not denote their want of sense, but denotes the innate sense of destruction 
before it has been curbed by the fear of consequences, by the will, or the sur¬ 
roundings that are brought to bear upon the nature. Some people born into 
the world have this propensity more developed than others; the slightest flaw 
in their surroundings being responsible for the after-evolution of the criminal. 
Again, I do not hold that to be criminal, in giving way to passion, to tempta¬ 
tion, is to be weak-minded. On the contrary, crime can only be considered 
in relation to the individual. What is temptation to one is not temptation to 
another. I do not hold that because of such things crime should go un¬ 
punished; on the contrary, crime must be dealt with for the protection of 
the community : but what I do hold is, that crime should be punished in ac¬ 
cordance with the individual and not in accordance with the crime. A 
familiar instance is furnished in the case of a boy tried for theft in New Tork 
in March, 1894. He was proved guilty of stealing a loaf of bread, and sen¬ 
tenced to fourteen years’ imprisonment. 

It therefore follows that in the study of crime one must place one’s self 
as far as possible in the position of the criminal. (It is astonishing how 

149 


150 Propensities for Murder. 

many different expressions one finds in tlie face of a picture from different 
points of view.) 

As regards the hand, it divides murder into three very distinct classes : 

1st. The murderer made so by the instinct to kill, as exhibited in the 
brute creation, through passion, fury, or revenge. 

2d. The murderer made so by the greed of gain ; the nature that will 
stop at nothing in order to gratify the covetous tendency. 

3d. The utterly heartless disposition which feeds on the sufferings of 
others: the nature that will even live on friendlv terms with the victim—the 

7 * 

one that will, as it were, deal out death in drops of honey; the person who 
cannot be touched by the longings for life exhibited by the sufferer, and who, 
though keenly alive to the danger, feels in that danger a sense of delight, and ? 
with utter lack of moral consciousness, takes more pleasure in such work than 
in the gain it brings. 

The first class is very ordinary. The man or woman becomes a mur¬ 
derer by circumstances. Such an individual may be thoroughly good- 
natured and kind-hearted, but some provocation excites the blind fury of the 
animal nature, and when the deed is done, such a one is generally crushed 
and broken by remorse. 

In such cases the hand shows no bad sign more than ungovernable tem¬ 
per and brute passion. It is, in fact, the elementary hand, or a near approach 
to it. The line of head is short, thick, and red, the nails short and red, and 
the hand heavy and coarse. The most remarkable characteristic, however, 
will be the thumb. The thumb will be set very low on the hand; it will be 
short and thick in the second phalange, and the first phalange will be what is 
called “the clubbed thumb” (Plate VIII.), very short, broad, and square: this 
is found almost without exception in such types. If in such cases the Mount 
of Venus is also abnormally large,sexual passion will be the destroyer; when 
not unusually developed, the greatest failing will be that of ungovernable 
temper. 

In the second class none of these points will be abnormal; the most 
striking peculiarity will lie the line of head, which will be heavily marked, 
but with a decided growth upward (Plate XXIV.); it will be found in an 
abnormal position, rising high toward Mercury, or far before it reaches that 


Clieiro’s Language of the Hand. 


151 


point it completely leaves its place on the right hand; as the propensities be¬ 
come stronger, it enters the line of heart, takes possession of it, as it were, 
and thus completely masks all the generous impulses or kind thoughts of the 
subject. (See previous remarks on the line of head, Part II., Chapter IX., 
page 96.) The hand is usually hard, the thumb not abnormally thick, but 
long, very stiff, and contracted inward. The entire formation gives covetous 
propensities, and an utter want of conscience in the pursuit of gain. 

The third class, to the student of human nature, is the most interesting, 
though it may be the most terrible. 

It is the hand of the subtlest nature in regard to crime. There will be 
nothing abnormal in connection with the hand itself. It will be only by ex- 
animation of all the characteristics that the treacherous side of this nature 
will be discovered. The leading features, however, will be a very thin, hard 
hand, long, the fingers generally slightly curved inward; the thumb long, 
and with both phalanges well developed, giving both the ability to plan and 
the strength of will necessary for execution ; it will rarely, if ever, be found 
bent or inclining outward, although such a formation exists at times on the 
hands of the first-mentioned class. 

The line of head may or may not be out of its proper position. It will, 
however, be set higher than usual across the hand, but will be very long and 
very thin, denoting the treacherous instincts. The Mount of Venus may be 
either depressed on the hand, or very high. When depressed, such a subject 
will commit crime simply for the sake of crime ; when high, the crime will 
be committed more for the sake of satisfying the animal desires. 

Such are the hands of the skilled artists in crime. Murder with such 
persons is reduced to a fine art, in the execution of which they will study 
every detail. They will rarely, if ever, kill their victim by violence—such a 
thing would be vulgar in their eyes—poison is the chief instrument that they 
employ, but so skilfully that the verdict is usually “ Death from natural 
causes.” 


CHAPTER IV. 


VARIOUS PHASES OF INSANITY. 

It lias often been said that all men are mad on some particular point. It 
is when this madness passes the half-way point of eccentricity that the title 
“ lunatic ” is bestowed upon the individual. As there are many forms of mad¬ 
ness, so are there many indications given by the hand. The chief types that 
we will consider here are the following : 

1st. Melancholy and religious madness, hallucinations, etc. 

2d. The development of the crank. 

3d. The natural madman. 

MELANCHOLY AND RELIGIOUS MADNESS. 

In the first case the line of head, on a rather broad hand, descends with 
a sharp curve low down on the Mount of Luna, very often to the base, de¬ 
noting the abnormally imaginative temperament of the subject. In addition 
to this, the Mount of Venus is not well developed, thus decreasing the sub¬ 
ject’s interest in all human or natural things; and lastly, the Mount of Saturn 
dominates. 

As a rule, such is the hand of the religious maniac. He commences 
early in life with strong hallucinations from the extraordinary imagination 
that he possesses, which imagination, if directed into the proper channel, 
would probably work oft its excess and relieve itself, but if opposed, feeds on 
itself, and thus increases. At first this is shown only occasionally in fits and 
starts. Its periods then grow longer and longer, until at last its moments of 
balance are few and far between. This is the morbid or melancholy type of 
the religious maniac. 


152 


Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 


153 


THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CEANK. 

This type of madness is generally found in conjunction with two very 
distinct types—the spatulate and the philosophic. 

In the first type it is the very sloping line of head on an extremely spatu- 
late formation. At the commencement it merely denotes daring originality, 
which will show itself in every possible direction. It dissipates its own power 
by attempting too many things, owing to the multitude of its inventive ideas. 
Again I say, if the subject could only get into some position in life where he 
might work off those ideas, all would oe well, and he might even give to the 
world some great invention or discovery which would benefit mankind. But 
attempt to crush such a man by some occupation entirely foreign to his 
nature, and you instantly turn all his current of thought to some extraordinary 
invention which he attempts to work out in secret; one which he dreams will 
be successful, and whose success will emancipate him from the slavery he is 
under. The very fact of his having to work in secret, the weakening of his 
nerve-power by confinement and by intensity of thought, the excitement un¬ 
der which he labors, is the laboratory where, in the end, he turns himself out 
—mad. 

The next type is the philosophic. This is again shown by a sudden 
curve of the line of head on the Mount of Luna, and with an accentuated 
philosophic formation. In this case the crank, and eventually the madman, 
leans toward the extraordinary in the salvation of mankind. He means well, 
from first to last; he is, however, a fanatic on whatever point, doctrine, or 
theory he advances. It requires but unfavorable circumstances, non-success, 
and the indifference of the public to make this subject pass the half-way 
mark of eccentricity and become the lunatic. 

If his weak point be religion, his is never that of the melancholy; on 
the contrary, he is the only person who knows the secret of the kingdom of 
heaven—all others are lost. It is not that he wishes to be alone when 
he gets there—it is his feverish anxiety for others which makes him ex¬ 
ceptional. For this object he works day and night; he denies himself the 
enjoyment of life, even food, in the terrible haste to accomplish his desire; 


154 Various Phases of Insanity. 

the brain becomes more and more off its balance, and the man becomes more 
and more mad. 


THE NATURAL MADMAN. 

Malformation of the brain is responsible for this type, which, by a study 
of the hand, can be divided into two distinct classes—that of the hopeless 
idiot, and that of the vicious lunatic. 

In the first class we generally find a wide, sloping line of head, formed 
entirely of islands and little hair-lines. This never gives any hope what¬ 
ever of reason or intelligence, and denotes that the subject has been brought 
into the world with a brain insufficient—either in quantity or in quality—to 
govern or control the body, and the hopeless idiot is the result. 

In the second division of this type the line of head, instead of being a 
continuous line, is made up of short, wavy branches running in all directions. 
A number of them rise inside the line of life on Mars, and cross to the other 
Mars on the opposite side of the hand. With this formation the nails are 
generally short and red Such a type denotes the quarrelsome, vicious 
lunatic more than any other class. In this case it will be noted that there 
are often sane moments, but such are extremely rare, and with regard to the 
last two classes I have never known any recovery. 


CHAPTER V. 


MODUS OPEKANDI, 

In tlie first place, I would advise the student to seat himself opposite his 
subject, so that a good light may fall directly on the hands. I would also 
advise that no person be allowed to stand or sit in close proximity, as un¬ 
consciously a third person will distract the attention of both subject and 
palmist. There is no special time absolutely necessary for the successful 
reading of hands. In India they advocate the hour of sunrise, but that is 
merely because of the fact that the circulation of the blood is stronger at tin 
extremities in the early morning than after the fatigue of the day, con¬ 
sequently the lines are more colored and distinct. By placing the subject 
directly opposite, the student is in a better position to examine both hands at 
the same time. In proceeding with the examination, first notice carefully the 
type the hands belong to, whether the fingers are in keeping with the palm, 
or in themselves relate to a distinct class; next carefully examine the left 
hand, then turn to the right—see what modifications and changes have 
occurred there, and make the right hand the basis of your reading. 

On all important points, such as illness, death, loss of fortune, marriage, 
and so forth, see what the left promises before coming to the conclusion that 
this or that event will take place. 

Hold whatever hand you are examining firmly in yours; press the line or 
mark till the blood flows into it—you will see by this means the tendencies of 
its growth. 

Examine every portion of the hand—back, front, nails, skin, color—before 
speaking. The first point should be the examination of the thumb: see 
whether it is long, short, or poorly developed; whether the will-phalange is 
firm or supple, whether it is strong or weak. Then turn your attention to 
the palm: note whether it is hard, soft, or flabby. 

155 


156 


Modus Operandi. 


I would next advise that you remark the fingers—their proportion to the 
palm, whether long or short, thick or thin; class them as a whole, according 
to the type they represent, or if they be mixed, class each individual finger. 
Then notice the nails for their bearing on temper, disposition, and health. 
Finally, after carefully examining the entire hand, turn your attention to the 
mounts: see which mount or mounts have the greatest prominence; and then 
proceed to the lines. There is no fixed rule as to the line to examine first; 
the best plan, however, is to start with the lines of life and health combined, 
then proceed to the line of head, the line of destiny, the line of heart, and 
so on. 

Speak honestly, truthfully, yet carefully. You can tell the plainest truths, 
but you need not shock or hurt your consultant by doing so. Be as careful 
with that complicated piece of humanity before you as you would be in hand¬ 
ling a fine and delicate piece of machinery. Above all things, you must be sym¬ 
pathetic : take the deepest possible interest in every person whose hands you 
read; enter into their lives, their feelings, and their natures. Let your entire 
ambition be to do good, to be of some benefit to the person who consults you. 
If this be the foundation of your work, it will never tire or distress you; on 
the contrary, it will sustain you. If you meet friends, be thankful for their 
friendliness; if you meet enemies, be not argumentative for the sake of argu¬ 
ment. Think of your work first, of self last. 

Above all things, be not impatient in the pursuit of this knowledge ; you 
will not learn a language in a day, neither must you expect to learn cheiro¬ 
mancy in an hour. Be not dismayed if you find it more difficult than you 
have imagined. Consider it earnestly—not in the light of an amusement, but 
as a work entailing depth of thought, patience of research, and one worthy of 
the highest talents that you can give. If we study it aright, we hold within 
our hands the keys of the mysteries of life. In it are hereditary laws, the 
sins of the fathers, the karma of the past, the effect of the cause, the balance 
of things that have been, the shadow of things to be. 

Let us be careful, then, that this knowledge be used aright. Let us be 
earnest in work, humble if success may crown work. Let us examine self 
before we examine others. If we see crime, let us consider the temptation of 
the criminal. If we see faults, let us remember we are not perfect. 


Cheiro's Language of the Hand. 


157 


Let us be careful lest in the pursuit of knowledge we despise what may 
seem to be beneath us—there is nothing beneath us; there is nothing 
common, for all fulfil the purpose of humanity. Let us not think there is 
no truth because we do not know, or that we possess the mysteries of the sun 
because we see its light. Let us be humble, that knowledge may raise us; 
let us be seekers, that we may find. 


PART IV. 


THE APPARATUS FOR “ THOUGHT PHOTOGRAPHY AND REGISTER 


CEREBRAL FORCE 


r> 


In the earlier pages of this work it will be noticed that I have alluded 
more than once to the idea of the brain generating an unknown force, which 
not only by its radiations through the body caused marks and variations 
on and in the body, but that also through the medium of the ether in the 
atmosphere every human being was more or less in touch with and influenced 
by one another (see pages 16, 19, and 21). 

When I made this statement some years ago, I did not do so only on 
an opinion based on the writings of scientists such as Abercrombie, Herder, 
and others, for I had at that time a tangible proof that such a force did 
exist through experiments made by my friend, the well-known French savant , 
Monsieur E. Savary d’Odiardi. I knew that some years before I wrote of 
this force that this gentleman had invented an apparatus which had been 
exhibited before the Academic des Sciences, Paris, in which a needle of metal 
could be moved a distance of ten degrees, by a person of strong will concen¬ 
trating his attention on it at a distance of from two to three feet. 

This little machine was in its infancy then, and although scientists mar¬ 
veled at it in those days, yet there were few who thought it would ever be so 
far perfected as to be of use in any practical way ; but the brain of the man 
who could think out and invent such an apparatus could not be satisfied to 
rest at such small beginnings; for nearly five years he patiently worked 
and labored on, until at last, about two years ago, he triumphed over all 

158 



159 


Thought Photography and Register Cerebral Torce. 

obstacles, and constructed an apparatus which completely eclipsed the first 
machine he had invented, and showed with every person the action of 
thought in the brain, and which, instead of only being able to move ten 
degrees, could register 300 in one movement. From that time on he con¬ 
fined his attention to observations of the registering needle with people of 
different emotions and idiosyncrasies of temperament. 

In his electro -medical hospital for the cure of diseases reputed incurable 
by ordinary means, 1 he had ample opportunities of watching the effect of 
various temperaments and diseases on this singular apparatus. The result 
of h is work has been that he has been able, by 11 the observation of cases,” 
to make certain rules to act as a guide in watching the indications of this 
instrument. 

On my return to London, in June, 1890, I had the honor of assisting 
Professor d’Odiardi with various experiments in connection with this appa¬ 
ratus ; and, finally, for the sake of obtaining charts of all sorts and con¬ 
ditions of people, he requested me to collaborate with him in the use of 
this machine, in order that he might enlarge his scope and field of observa¬ 
tion. 

After placing notes made from hundreds of experiments in my hands, 
I brought the instrument to my rooms in Bond Street, and have since then 
tested it upward of thirty to forty times a day in connection with the 
various people who visited me. 

The proof that the needle in this machine is influenced by a force 
radiating from the brain is shown by the Professor in his experiments with 
people who approached it under the influence of certain drugs that injure 
or stupefy the brain. This is also proved by the fact that though the entire 
body may be paralyzed, yet as long as the brain is uninjured the needle 
in the instrument will act as before. He has also demonstrated that 
“ subjects addicted to the habit of having recourse to drugs known as 
neuro-musculnr agents,” depressers of the reflex action of the spinal cord, 


1 The Nottinghill Gate Hospital, 30 Silver Street, London, W. 


160 


Cheirds Language of the Hand. 

such as chloral, chloroform, bromide of potassium, etc., are the less apt to 
produce (by looking at the instrument) a deflection or a succession of them 
in the registering- needle ; thus demonstrating that the transmission of cere- 
bral force by external radiation is interfered with by the use of such drugs; 
the absence of the radiation produced by thought-force seeming to point 
out that the production of thought and the intensity of it is impaired by 
the ingestion and assimilation of those agents. Not only is such an effect 
produced by toxic drugs, but also by any kind of intoxication ; i. e ., by an 
excess of stimulants, whether in the form of drink or of food. Thus is the 
stupefying effect of drunkenness and voracity scientifically proved by this 
registering apparatus. 

The same diminution of deflective power in a subject over the needle 
is caused by anger, violence (after the fit), and by envy, jealousy, hatred 
(during the fit). A subject being tested in the vicinity of a person he dis¬ 
likes or hates is shown by the instrument to lose standard ‘ if in the vicin¬ 
ity of a person he likes or loves the standard denoted by the needle is raised. 

He has also demonstrated that an idiot has no power to deflect the 
needle in the apparatus, whereas a single look from a person endowed 
with brain-power may cause a variety of movements and deflections even at 
a distance of from two to twenty feet. 

Among the many interesting experiments made from time to time by 
the inventor and myself, there is one that has been quoted by “Answers” 
in an article entitled, “ The Most Wonderful Machine in the World ”; it 
is to the effect that upon one occasion a gentleman stood in front of the 
instrument criticising its action and endeavoring, if possible, to find some 
explanation of its power. About the same time several other persons 
entered the room, and in casual conversation one of them mentioned the 
fact of a sudden fall in the value of South African Chartered Company’s 
shares. No one knew that the gentleman looking at the machine was the 
holder of many thousands of pounds worth of these shares; but at the 
moment the drop in the value was mentioned the man’s mental emotion 


161 


Thought Photography and Register Cerebral Force. 

caused the indicator in the machine to move rapidly, and register one of 
the highest numbers that has been recorded by it. 

Another curious experiment is that in which one can determine 
whether out of two people there is one who loves more than the other ; in 
this case the two persons are tested separately, and charts made out of 
their movements shown by the machine. After they are left together for 
half an hour they are again tested, and the one who loves the most will 
be found to have a greater influence on the instrument, while the person who 
loves the least will be found to have lost power over the registering needle, 
in a greater or less degree, according to the effect that has been produced 
by the other person’s presence. 

But hundreds of interesting experiments might be cited in connection 
with this wonderful invention, which have been summed up by the editor 
of T anity Fair, December 17, 1896, in which he says: “This curiously 
interesting machine really seems to bridge the gulf between mind and 
matter.” 

The accompanying illustrations are taken almost at random from the 
hundreds of charts that have been made from this instrument; they show, 
in a very striking way, what a difference exists in the radiations of two 
persons of widely different temperaments. No. 1 is that of Mr. Lionel 
Phillips, who has played such an important part recently in connection with 
South African affairs. No. 2 is that of a well-known London clergyman, 
the Rev. Russell Wakefield. These are good examples of what one would 
call two strong personalities, entirely distinct and different in magnetism, 
will-power, etc. 

One of the most extraordinary conditions of the machine is that there 
is no physical contact whatever required (see Pall Mall Gazette , article at the 
end of appendix). In the regular course of experiments the person to be 
tested stands within a foot to two feet of the instrument; but if the atmos¬ 
phere is clear and dry, a person of a strong will may influence the needle 
at a distance of from ten to tw r enty feet. 


162 


Cheir o's Language of the Hand. 


There care no magnets employed by the operator, or electric commu¬ 
nication with the needle, except the unknown agent—be it odic force, mag¬ 
netism, or something still more subtle that radiates from the brain through 
the body, and that, passing through the atmosphere, plays upon the con¬ 
denser of this sensitive machine. People have tested this for themselves 
in every conceivable manner. The greatest unbelievers in this machine 
have tried in every way to prove that the needle was moved by any other 
agency but this unknown force radiating from the body, but one and all 
have in the end admitted that the action of the needle was due to a force 
given off by the person tested. 

One of the leading divines in the Church of England, a few days 
before this article was written, after seeing the machine being tested in a 
variety of ways, said: “ Such a machine not only would convince one of 
the influence of mind over matter, but more importantly the influence of 
mind over mind ; for if the radiation of our thoughts affect this needle of 
metal, how much more so must we not affect the thoughts, ideas, and lives 
of those around us.” 

In conclusion, may not then the very force that moves this needle be 
the very power that in its continual action marks the hand through the 
peripheral nerves. We know not, and may never know, why this unseen 
force should write the deeds of the past or the dreams of the future. And 
yet the prisoner in his dungeon will often write on the stones around him 
his name and legend, to be read or not, as the case may be. May not, 
then, the soul, as a captive in the body, write on the fleshly walls of its 
prison-house its past trials, its future hopes, the deeds that it will some day 
realize? For if there be a soul, then is it, being a spirit, conscious of all 
things, its past joys, its present sorrows, and the future—be it what it may. 

Cheiro. 

17 New Bond Street , London. 






THE HAND OF DR. MEYER, CONVICTED OF MURDER, 8th JUNE, 1894, 


Plate XXIV. 










THE HAND OF A SUICIDE.' 
Flate XXV. 


i 






A BABY'S HAND. 
Plate XXVI. 






HAND OF MADAME SARAH BERNHARDT. 


Plate XXVII. 













THE HAND OF MARK TWAIN. 

hjf 


Plate XXVill 







ih 


i' 


THE HAND OF MADAME NORDICA. 



Plate XXIX 


































i 










































• ■ 

































































I 


































THE HAND OF JOHN THEO DORE BENTLEY 

(THE PAINTER OF THE “LIVING CHRIST”). 


Plate XXX 








THE RIGHT HAND OF LORD CHARLES BERESFORD 


Plate L, 































i.ff v * I 4 

































s. 

THE RIGHT HAND OF MR. WILLIAM WH1TELEY 


(“THE UNIVERSAL PROVIDER,” LONDON) 


Plate LI 



































































THE RIGHT HAND OP GEN. SIR REDVERS BULLER, V.C., K.C.B. 


Plate LU 






THE RIGHT HAND OF REV. MINOT J. SAVAGE 


Plate LI I 









THE RIGHT HAND OF H. N. HIGINBOTHAM, ESQ. 

(PRESIDENT world’s COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION) 


Plate LIV. 





CHEIRO’S INDIAN ROOM 













































THE HAND OF E. M. CURTISS, Esq. 


Plate XLIII 






* 




















THE HAND OF THE REV. C. H. PARKHURST, D.D. 


Plate XL1V 








THE LEFT HAND OF LADY LINDSAY 


Plate XLV, 










THE RIGHT HAND OF SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN 


Plate XLVI. 





.. 





























THE RIGHT HAND OF LADY HENRY SOMERSET 


Plate XLVII 












THE RIGHT HAND OF A PROMINENT MEMBER OF THE 
HOUSE OF COMMONS 


Plate XLVIII 









THE RIGHT HAND OF MADAME MELBA 


Plate XLIX. 







THE HAND OF 


COLONEL ROBERT INGERSOLL. 


Plate XXXI 









THE HAND OF MRS. FRANK LESLIE. 


Plate XX 








THE HAND OF W. T. STEAD. 


Plate XXXII' 













THE HAND OF THE RIGHT HON. JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN. M.P. 


Plate XXXIV 








































* 









THE HAND OF AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN, ESQ., M.P. 

(Illustrative of hereditary tendencies , see hand of his father. Plate XXXIV.) 


Plate XXXV. 







THE HAND OF MRS. ANNIE BESANT. 


Plate XXXVI. 





THE HAND OF THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF ENGLAND, 


LORD RUSSELL OF K1LLOWEN. 


Plate XXXVII. 










THE HAND OF THE COUNTESS OF ABERDEEN. 


Plate XXXVIII 






THE HAND OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK, M.P.. F.R.S. 


Plate XXXIX 









THE HAND 


OF SIR EDWIN ARNOLD. 


Plate XL. 











THE HAND OF SIR 


FREDERICK LEIGHTON. P.R.A. 


Plate XL 






THE HAND OF THE SWAMI VIVEKANANDA. 


Plate XL1I 




APPENDIX. 


OPINIONS OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC. 

A FEW EXTRACTS FROM CHEIRO’S AUTOGRAPH-BOOK. 

The Duke of Newcastle. 

Ckeiro has told my past and immediate future with wonderful accuracy, especially with 
regard to certain coming events which he could not possibly have known. 

Oscar Wilde. 

Indeed, Cheiro, the mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible. 

Sir Henry Drummond Wolf. 

I have been much struck by Cheiro's extraordinary power. 

Florence Marryat. 

Cheiro has recalled my past from my hand more accurately than I could have done from 
memory myself. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Ponsonby. 

Cheiro is really marvelous. 

Florence Fenwick Miller. 

Cheiro was very remarkable in his knowledge of my character, my surroundings, and (as 
far as I can myself see) the probabilities of my life. His rooms are crowded—and no wonder. 

Blanche Roosevelt. 

I am more than astonished ; marvelous—most marvelous. 

Robt. T. Cooper, M.D. 

Cheiro has mapped out the leading characteristics of my past life with great accuracy. The 
subject is certainly deserving of calm and scientific study. 

Melton Prior. 

Cheiro has inspired me with veneration for palmistry to an appalling extent. 



Appendix. 


Rev. Everard Blake, A.K.C. 

Clieiro not only told me the leading incidents of my life, but also most likely predictions 
with regard to my future. 

Loie Fuller 

The marvelous things Clieiro read in my palm in 1890 have, more to my surprise than I can 
tell, been proved to be absolutely true. 

“ Rita.” 

Clieiro has astonished me with his accurate description of my life during his reading of my 
hand. 

John Strange Winter. 

Clieiro told my past life from my hand with the most absolute accuracy. 

Mrs. Frank Leslie. 

Your palm-reading is so startlingly true that your possession of this mysterious skill ot 
faculty might well inspire fear, were it accompanied by less of perfect trust and discretion. 

Ella Wheeler Wilcox. 

Cheiro helps as well as astonishes. 

Madame Melba. 

Cheiro is wonderful , what more can I say. 

Mark Twain. 

Cheiro has exposed my character to me with humiliating accuracy. I ought not to confess 
this accuracy, still I am moved to do it. 


EXTRACTS FROM ENGLISH AND AMERICAN PRESS. 

“ Hearth and Home,” August 4. 

Cheiro is a wonder. I have had my hand told before, but never so minutely, never so ab¬ 
solutely correctly. Every detail of my character, as I alone can know it, was given swiftly and 
unerringly. My relations with various people were described. My emotions were analyzed and 
traced back to their beginnings. I was told my ambition in life, my hesitation in choosing a 
career, what I had at first imagined to be my true bent, and what I should eventually find my 
true bent to be. The exact state of my health now and in the past was given; and then Cheiro, 
having thoroughly convinced me of his claims upon my time and intelligence, proceeded to read 
me some of the dark, mysterious future. I know in what year I shall die, in what year I shall 
lose money, when I shall marry, and when I shall attain success. At least I feel as if I knew it, 
for if Cheiro cau read the past, as he undoubtedly can, why should he not read the future ? 






















Appendix. 


“ Life,” August 13. 

The past is an open book to Cheiro (he has read some thousands of hands during his life¬ 
time), the present is clear as noon, while the future is unraveled with no particle of hesitancy. 
Men of letters, scientists, and all grades of profession have affixed their names to appreciative 
notices of his achievements. 

“The Morning,” July 6. 

Cheiro’s mission is the science of the hand. He dealt with The Morning reporter’s hand 
successfully, and on a scientific basis. The right is the one he reads from ; it is the hand we 
make as far as the lines upon it are concerned. Any development of the brain is indicated by 
the lines which he traces. He has letters of acknowledgment of his success as a palmist frou? 
hundreds of people known to fame in this England of ours. 

“ The Pelican,” September 10. 

I have had my hands read many a time, but never has any one been able to tell me what 
Cheiro did yesterday. Every little detail connected with my past he explained so minutely, so 
correctly ; even certain things I had thought of doing only* a few days before. He is not a for¬ 
tune-teller or a thought-reader—at least he does not pose as either ; he simply reads your ha'lld 
in a straight-forward manner, without paying you any compliments. He explains exactly what 
every line means, shows you where it ends or crosses another, and gives you the reason why. 
Cheiro’s autograph-book is filled with testimonials from scientific men and women of the day. 

“ Society,” October 29. 

Cheiro the palmist, whose salon has been so extensively visited during the season, main¬ 
tains that cheiromancy is a science, but his marvelous intuition strikes all those who have 
submitted themselves to his examination. Neither the past, the present, nor the future of the 
most perfect strangers seem to be veiled mysteries to him. 

“The Lady,” October 13. 

A visit to Cheiro is fraught with much interest, for it is a decidedly novel experience 
to have your inner thoughts and character calmly and candidly set forth, all the chief events of 
your past life quietly narrated, and predictions for the future confidently pronounced. Nor is 
there any mystery in all this, as Cheiro carefully explains every line as he proceeds, giving the 
name of each one and his theory concerning it—a theory which certainly works out with start¬ 
ling exactness. 

“ Woman,” October 19. 

How far palmists may be permitted by a higher Power to read the future is not for me to 
say, but that Cheiro read that the whole conditions that must necessarily affect my future life 
had changed in the last few years it is idle to deny ; but setting past and future aside, no one, 
however anxious to decry the palmist’s art, can let Cheiro read their hands without marveling 
at his microscopic delineation, in slow, well-chosen words, of one’s disposition, one’s inner self. 


Appendix. 


He tells one of weak points, points to guard against, as well as those to cherish; of fancies, 
ambitions, and aspirations which we thought hidden from every one but ourselves. 

“ Whitehall Review,” February 25. 

My belief in Palmistry and the truth of it has been confirmed by a visit to that well-known, 
clever Palmist, Cheiro. However skeptical you may be, one must be inclined to believe that 
there is truth in Palmistry when your past life can be read so accurately by a stranger. 

Cheiro tested by the “New York World.” 

Without knowing either the names or the positions in life of any of the people, and with¬ 
out asking a question or any beating about the bush, Cheiro read from impressions of hands on 
paper the life and characteristics of each person with the most wonderful accuracy. 

(See article New York World, November 26, 1893.) 

“The Morning Journal,” December 17. 

It would seem as if this prince of palmists, Cheiro, were a descendant of the old Egyptian 
sorcerers, by the remarkable and almost uncanny ease with which he read the lives of people 
whose hands we showed him impressions of on paper, without giving him the slightest clue as 
to who the people were. 

“ The Recorder,” New York, October 2. 

Cheiromancy, as practised by Cheiro, is an exact science. The hand contains an epitome 
of the life's l’ecord, and also of the destiny which awaits each man. 

“Sunday Advertiser,” New York, October 29. 

Cheiro has extraordinary power, absorbed from unusual sources and knowledge acquired 
in peculiar ways ; there is no doubt that he possesses the faculty of reading human nature to a 
wonderful degree. 

“The World,” New York, November 12. 

In London, Cheiro was the rage, and read the hands of everybody who was anybody, 
including royalty. The aggregate of his hand-reading up to date is 19,000. 

“ The Press,” New York, February 18. 

Cheiro is a veritable wizard, a necromancer, a magician, a male witch who would have been 
burned at the stake in the days of Cotton Mather. Cheiro’s history is as strange as his pro¬ 
fession. The blood of many nations flows in his veins and makes him cosmopolitan. He lived 
among the Brahmans for four years, and in the summer of ’92 turned up in New Bond Street, 
London, and converted the greatest skeptics to belief in palmistry—at least m his method of 
doing it. 

“ Current Literature,” February 1. 

Cheiro has studied the hand from a purely scientific standpoint. He is just twenty-six 
years of age, and last year his rooms in New Bond Street, London, were filled with the most 


Appendix . 


fashionable people, and he was entertained everywhere by the social leaders of the city. He 
has written one or two valuable books on his favorite subject, and altogether can best be 
described, in Blanche Roosevelt’s own words, as “ marvelous, most marvelous 1” 

“Once a Week,” March 31st. 

Cheiro’s reading is minute, clear, and logical. He does not generalize or fall back upon 
mere indications of character, but goes straight to the very heart of the matter, showing where, 
when, and why you have failed, what possibilities lie before you, and what moral force must 
be brought to bear to prevent failure in the future. Swiftly and unerringly he lays bare every 
detail of your character as you alone can know it. He can even describe your relations with 
other people and the influences they have had on your life. 

“Frank Leslie's Weekly,” May 10th. 

Cheiro is on his tour around the world, but proposes to remain for an extended time in 
India, where a welcome is awaiting him. He is to be the guest of a Maharaja, and is to have 
the use of certain ancient works on Cheiromancy, which many of the Indian potentates are 
anxious to revive. During his season in London he read nearly nine thousand palms, for 
which he has many letters of commendation from royalty, statesmen, savants, and both men 
and women prominent in the world. 

“The Boston Herald,” May 5th. 

Cheiro can tell without error the field or fields in which a person can distinguish him¬ 
self, if in any. He can reveal to him his whole inner nature; he can warn him of impending 
dangers, especially when these take the form ot an evil tendency, unchecked often because 
unknown or of a disease existent in germ; he can even foretell with considerable accuracy 
of time and circumstance the chief events of the life. 

“ The Boston Post,” May 12th. 

Cheiro is a solid, sensible, earnest student whose knowledge of hands is inborn, since from 
earliest childhood fate has led him to the close study of human nature as revealed in the 
shapes and lines of the hand. 

“The Boston Journal,” April 7th. 

Cheiro is a scientist, and furthermore makes no mystery of his science. He has proved 
by his life and experience that it can be used for the help and advancement of the human 
race, both morally and mentally. 

“The Boston Budget,” June 3d. 

Cheiro, the Palmist, is one of the most remarkable scientists that the world has ever 
known. His great learning, the thoughtful, the philosophic power, the charm of personality 
in Cheiro makes his counsel of value, and raises his w r ork to a scholarly and scientific basis. 
His occult knowledge is vast and genuine, and the true seeker after the higher life cannot 
but find in his aid the most potent stimulus. 


Appendix. 


PRESS NOTICES OE LECTURES. 


“The New York Herald,” February 25th. 

Cheiro's lecture before “The Lotus Club ” was extremely interesting. He showed that 
Palmistry was a reliable guide not only to character, but to events. 

“ The Boston Herald,” April 19th. 

Chickering Hall was crowded yesterday with a distinguished audience to hear Clieiro, 
who is now making a tour of the world in the interests of his science. In his lecture proper 
Cheiro pointed to the great antiquity of Palmistry, and to the repute in which it has been held 
by the first minds of antiquity. He gave in detail some of the medical and scientific reasons 
on which the truth of Cheiromancy rested. He also pointed to its practical uses in life, in its 
utility in the knowledge of health and disease, as well as for the revelation of character and 
hereditary tendencies. The lecturer also expounded the oriental philosophy of life that went 
along with the science, and made an eloquent plea for it on the ground of its thoroughly 
scientific character and its superior humanity- Cheiro is young and handsome in feature. 
He makes a most engaging lecturer. He held his audience to the last, and at tile end was 
greeted with unstinted applause. 

“Boston Saturday Evening Gazette,” April 20th. 

Cheiro, the Palmist, called forth a large and fashionable assemblage at Chickering Hall 
on Thursday afternoon, when his lecture on Palmistry from a scientific standpoint, together 
with the relation of several incidents of his early life, proved of rare interest. 

The Evening Item,” Lynn, June 4th. 

Cheiro, the celebrated Palmist, gave a remarkable lecture on his science before a large 
and fashionable audience at Odd Fellows’ Hall on Monday evening. The speaker not only 
understood his subject, but was also a thorough master of the art of laying his facts and 
explanations before his audience in such a way that their attention and interest was kept to 
the last. He was heartily applauded at the close. 

• . Jr 

“The Boston Herald,” June 16th. 

Cheiro delivered a most instructive and entertaining lecture on his art, illustrated by Stere- 
opticon Views of hands of famous people, in the Association Hall last night. In spite of the 
hot weather, the large hall was filled to the doors with fashionable and distinguished people, 
and at the close of the lecture Cheiro was greeted with enthusiastic applause. 











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